


Dawnbreaker:The Brand-New Wrath Of Khan

by LeyenarTheAvenger



Series: Star Trek/Green Lantern:Legends Of Tomorrow [1]
Category: Green Lantern - All Media Types, Star Trek/Green Lantern: Stranger Worlds, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: 'cuz he still hasn't gotten over his Vengeance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Khan Noonien Singh, Bisexual Hal Jordan, Bisexual James T. Kirk, Character Death, Crack, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Dominion War (Star Trek), Eventual Happy Ending, Female Characters, Forgiveness, Gay Spock (Star Trek), Gen, HalSinestro, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Hope vs. Despair, Humor, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Don't Even Know, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Justice for the USS Vengeance, Khan Noonien Singh Needs A Hug, Khan is basically Carrie without powers, Klingon, Lost Love, Love Confessions, Men Crying, No Uhura hatin', One-sided James T. Kirk/Spock, Pansexual Thaal Sinestro, Please Don't Kill Me, Poor khan, Post-Star Trek Beyond, Rage, Red Lantern Khan Noonien Singh, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Stephen King's Carrie References, T'hy'la, Talking, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, The Author Regrets Nothing, This garbage is finally ready to be bunched with that tag, Twu Wuv, Vulcan Bond, WTF, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, Why Did I Write This?, WonderKirk, Working Out My Feelings Through Fic, Xenophilia, a lot of it, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, and Parallax, as he should, but he does have a power ring, but it gets better, by Sinestro, he needs to face consequences, i love khan, i spent the majority of last night writing chapter 2, including Spock getting his bucket whupped, red lanternz rule, since Sinestro's got Parallax, spirk, spock gets bashed instead, technically he's being beaten up by the two of 'em, that also applies to their mirror versions, that definitely happened, that might fill in for the telekinesis, this has everything, well..., yeah - Freeform, ❤
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 40,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27540337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeyenarTheAvenger/pseuds/LeyenarTheAvenger
Summary: When the sharpest words wanna cut me down,I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown 'em out,I am brave, I am bruised,I am who I'm meant to be, this is me!—This Is Me, Keala SettleWhen survivors from a dead universe end up on someplace else by chance, that other world's original residents find themselves in a sticky situation...all except one Khan Noonien Singh.Granted a red ring of rage to channel the void within, Khan becomes the villain known as the Dawnbreaker and seeks vengeance for his Vengeance on the Enterprise crew but before he can carry that out, tragedy struck. The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History. The Tragedy. The end of the world.Ultimate Despair had risen, and society had collapsed.Now, the Ultimate Hope is missing and the galaxy is in ruin. It's up to Khan to restore hope to the universe! When times are tough...and consequences are cruel...an unlikely hero will arise.(Or:An extremely Khan friendly rewrite of the second Star Trek/Green Lantern crossover)
Relationships: Aya (Green Lantern)/USS Enterprise, Ben Sulu/Hikaru Sulu, Bro'Dee "Saint" Walker/Original Female Character, Carol Ferris & Nyota Uhura, Carol Ferris/Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Carol Marcus/Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Diana (Wonder Woman)/James T. Kirk, Ganthet/Sayd (DCU), Guy Gardner/Original Female Character, Hal Jordan & James T. Kirk, Hal Jordan & Thaal Sinestro, Hal Jordan/Thaal Sinestro, James T. Kirk & Spock, James T. Kirk/Spock, Jaylah & Khan Noonien Singh, Jaylah (Star Trek)/Original Female Character(s), Khan Noonien Singh & Everyone, Khan Noonien Singh/USS Vengeance, Kilowog/Original Female Character, Mirror James T. Kirk/Mirror Spock, Nyota Uhura/Original Male Character, Pavel Chekov/Hikaru Sulu
Series: Star Trek/Green Lantern:Legends Of Tomorrow [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113611
Kudos: 3





	1. Getting Over Under The Hood

**Author's Note:**

  * For [w3djyt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/w3djyt/gifts), [jedi_harkness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedi_harkness/gifts).
  * Inspired by [May Fortune Favor the Foolish](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7843819) by [w3djyt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/w3djyt/pseuds/w3djyt). 



> Aight, I was originally tryna write this after all my other works were finished but talking to a friend rekindled my love for Green Lantern, so I've gotta hurry up and do this before it cools down again. I highly advise reading the two Star Trek/Green Lantern crossover series before you dive into this.
> 
> The first few chapters are basically there for me to vent, the real Khandemption arc will start once all the venting is finished.
> 
> This story is heavily inspired by Doom Eternal and both Lego Movies. It's set one year after Star Trek Beyond, and shortly after the Nekron incident. I will be referring to Carol Marcus as "Carol" and Carol Ferris as "Ferris" to avoid confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hindi Translation:  
> Nideshak=Director
> 
> Chapter One!

*A spotlight shines on a stage, revealing Khan Noonien Singh in his Red Lantern gear playing London Calling on a piano*

*17-year-old Leyenar Oh joins him shortly after, wearing the most outrageous and cringe-inducing outfit the universe has ever seen*

Leyenar: **Spectacular, spectacular! No words in the vernacular...can describe this great event, you'll be dumb with wonderment!** (motions for Khan to stop playing and join her) **Good evening, dear readers, I'm Leyenar Oh. This is Khan, my red-hot shining star who keeps mispronouncing my name but I'm letting it slide because I love him.**

Khan:Did you really have to say that out loud? (Leyenar smiles at him)

Leyenar: **One thing I guarantee,** **the story we're about to tell you is so disturbing,** **we've stationed a registered nurse outside in the lobby.**

Khan:She is armed with a tranquilizer dart gun for those needing sedation. She also has Xanax and Vicatin she got off the internet.

Leyenar: **And _please,_ for the love of Pete, ****do not turn off your cell phones.**

Khan:Mm-mm, nah. You're probably gonna wanna call your mama.

Leyenar: **That was witty of you to say a thing like that, Khan. So, shall we begin?**

Khan:Thank you, Nideshak. There you have it. There will be no intermission tonight. This show is eight hours long.

* * *

**Bad Ideas Gone Wrong Productions Presents:  
Dawnbreaker (The Brand-New Wrath Of Khan)**

**Directed By:Leyenar Oh**

**Starring:  
Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan Noonien "Dawnbreaker" Singh  
Sofia Boutella as Jaylah  
**

**James Marsden as Hal Jordan  
Mark Strong as Thaal Sinestro **

**Gal Gadot as Diana Of Themyscira  
Chris Pine as James T. Kirk  
Zachary Quinto as Spock  
Mila Kunis as Aya  
Mary Chieffo as Shenara Goradh  
Jennifer Lawrence as Shiarrael D'Amarok  
Karl Urban as Leonard "Bones" McCoy  
Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura  
Simon Pegg as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott  
John Cho as Hikaru Sulu  
Alice Eve as Carol Marcus  
Will Smith as John Stewart  
Charlie Hunnam as Guy Gardner  
Dwayne Johnson as Kilowog (voice)  
Blake Lively as Carol Ferris  
Noel Fielding as Saint Walker  
Sam Worthington as Omal Nexi  
Lena Headey as General Luen  
Mads Mikkelsen as Lord Okaia  
And the cast of thousands**

* * *

**_Against all the evil that Hell can conjure,_ **

**_All the wickedness that mankind can produce,_ **

**_We will send unto them...only you._ **

**_Put out the lights, until it is done._ **

_How did I feel?_

_In that moment, when I lost the love of my life?_

_When I ran, helpless, one very angry Vulcan hot on my tail?_

_I felt...nothing._

_Like the sky and the ground broke apart and all that was left was a void as big as everything._

_And that void was inside me._

_I didn't feel anything._

_Anything...but rage._

_Rage_

_Rage_

_Rage_

_..._

"Fascinating." said one Khan Noonien Singh, staring at the Red Lantern ring in his hand. He and his beloved crew had recently been woken up, and here they were, face-to-face with strange things. "This fallen monster used his ring as a weapon..." he murmured, referring to the defeated Atrocitus. "And here you are, wielding rings of your own, albeit of a different shade. Tell me, have I once again been awakened centuries in the future? One in which battles are waged with...jewelry?"

"You said your name is Khan?" asked John Stewart, a Green Lantern from a dead universe. "Tell us what happened here."

Khan pointed down at the defeated Atrocitus, and declared "This monster made a big mistake by demanding our obedience after he freed us from our sleep. His power was impressive, but it was no match for the combined might of 73 Augments...AHKKK!" Suddenly, Khan collapsed to the floor, clutching his head. He paid no attention to his surroundings—already he was being spoon-fed way too much information. And at the end of it all, there lay a scripture of light.

 _Who are you?_ asked Inner Khan, still trying to wrap his head around everything that had come crashing down over him. And the scripture unfolded to reveal those words:

_I'm innocent rage._

_I'm innocent hatred._

_I'm innocent sword._

_Take me up, and you will be fulfilled._

Inner Khan knew that this was just what he needed in order to carry out vengeance for his Vengeance, and reached out to take the scripture.

And that was when the Universe's fate was sealed. Khan now had the ring on his finger, and asked the Green Lanterns "Mayhaps...you can teach me how to wield this?"

"Hand that thing over to us, pal—!" yelled Guy Gardner, another Green Lantern but John stopped him.

"What were you doing down here, stranger?" asked John. "And why were you and your friends "asleep"?"

"So you're not Starfleet, then. We were locked down here for others' safety, not our own. And we're never returning to rest." Khan replied.

"I don't think I like this guy, Johnny." said Guy.

"We're not Starfleet, but we are their friends. If they put you here, there's no way in hell we're just gonna let y'all swagger right past." declared John. "Gimme that ring."

"Besides, that ring's useless to you anyway, pal. As long as Atrocitus is still alive." Guy added.

"Oh, for reals?" Khan scoffed before crushing the fallen Red Lantern's skull with his foot, and instantly, the ring jumped to life. To Khan, it felt like doing something wild, such as listening to Meat Loaf albums from the 70's and 80's when he was alone with nothing to do. He wanted to find a way to make more and make sure that all of his crew had one, but that'll have to wait. Right now, all that mattered was bloodshed.

"Still want me to go easy on him, Johnny?!" yelled Guy.

"We need to concentrate our power...and take him out!" cried John, and a green energy blast from both him and Guy's rings knocked Khan out.

Meanwhile, Kilowog, another Green Lantern, was dealing with Khan's crew. "Hey! Get offa me, ya poozers!" yelled the large alien.

"He called 'em "Augments".". said John. "But...augmented with _what_?"

Suddenly, red tendrils slid around the greens' necks, choking them. "Augmented with the science of a forgotten time." said an imposing male voice. "And now made even stronger by the rage that courses through this ring...and me." Khan threw the greens into a wall, and declared "And now...any who oppose me...will suffer your fate."

"My liege, what happened?" asked Malik, one of Khan's loyal soldiers, obviously shocked by his king wearing alien attire.

"This happened." replied Khan, showing off his ring. "But fear not. I am still the same man you called leader...and _friend._ "

_Taking over a Starfleet ship was easy as pie, considering what I became capable of._

_It were times like those I wish there was a solid surface I could land on, so I'd use the blood of the slaughtered crew to form a lake._

_At least, that was what the ring's records told me. I thought this ring would fill the void within...I was wrong._

_I had the most powerful weapon in the whole entire universe on my finger._

_But I would have given it up to have my Vengeance._

_I would have traded everything so I didn't feel so helpless. So...alone._

* * *

"Are you sure we can trust it?" asked James T. Kirk, captain of the USS Enterprise. He was currently helping out the survivors of the dead universe mentioned earlier, and said survivors had found something they never expected to see in this new universe—an Oan manhunter.

"It's kept its word so far, hasn't it?" asked one Hal Jordan, formerly one of the greatest Green Lanterns. "Like I said before, they ain't mindless killing machines yet."

"That's...not reassuring." replied Kirk.

Meanwhile, Montgomery Scott, the Enterprise's chief engineer, was examining the manhunter. "Amazing! There's technology in here we haven't even imagined!"

 _The Guardians are the most advanced species in the whole entire universe,_ said the manhunter, _explain how you are in possession of their technology._

"I arrived here from another reality." said Hal. "One in which the Green Lantern Corps replaced the manhunters as the peacekeepers of the universe."

The manhunter looked surprised. It said _You claim that the manhunters betrayed the Guardians...Impossible!_

"I have the scars to prove it." replied Hal. "What matters right now is that we're still on the same side, and I need your help. There's a ring-bearer named Sinestro who arrived in this reality with me, and he'd love nothing more than to reach Oa and steal the Guardians' power before they can create the Green Lantern Corps. I'm betting he's already on his way there."

 _The manhunters will intercept and destroy him first,_ said the manhunter.

"What? No!" cried Hal, worry evident in his face. In spite of everything that had happened both in the dead universe and this one, he still loved Sinestro and it was obvious to the Enterprisers by now and now that Ferris had chosen Scotty, there was now nothing but that simple wall that divided good and evil between them. "I mean, you've never faced anything like Sinestro before. You'll need our—"

 _Captain! Urgent distress call from the USS Bryant!_ cried a voice from the comms.

"That's the ship the other Lanterns were on...!" said Kirk.

"If they ran into Atrocitus..." Hal began.

"We're on our way." Kirk finished. "And we're welcome for any help you manhunters can provide."

_LATER..._

"No response to hails, captain." said one Nyota Uhura. "Some kinda distortion is affecting our scans of the interior, but it appears that the life support aboard the Bryant has been compromised."

"Captain, if we are to investigate directly..." said her boyfriend Spock, the half-Vulcan first officer of the Enterprise. "I would advise caution."

And so Kirk, Spock, Hal and some others went to the Bryant to see what the heck was going on. "You don't need to breathe when you're wearing dat ring?" Kirk asked Hal.

"Just don't ask me how it works." said Hal.

"Captain!" Spock called out, "Look over here! The Bryant crew...they're all dead."

"Why would Atrocitus attack a random Starfleet ship?" Hal asked himself.

Kirk began snapping out orders. "Kirk to Enterprise—Sulu, beam two more security teams over to our position. And break out the phaser rifles."

"My ring's picking up a ring nearby!" Hal said. "And a _red_ one at that!"

Suddenly, a rich, booming male voice said from a corner:"Thank you for responding to my distress call."

"Khan!" said Kirk upon encountering the owner of the voice.

"Khan?" asked Hal. "Who the hell is Khan?"

"Hello, Kirk, Spock and whatsisname." said Khan, and Hal seemed to be a bit ticked off by being called "whatsisname". "It seems like only yesterday that we met. Well, that's what happens, I suppose, when you're left frozed for who knows how long. I'm so glad I awoke before we missed the chance to meet again. Now... _shall we continue?_ "

"Wait a minute..." Kirk said, but Khan ignored him and kept on talking.

"The last time I saw you, we were standing in the middle of an antiseptic Federation courtroom as my fate was decided by a buncha insipid bureaucrats...while parts of San Francisco still burned from my attack on your oh-so-precious utopia. You, whatsisname, with the green ring, I don't know you...but I see that we already have something in common. You must be possessed of considerable power, as I now am. Why ally yourself with the weak?"

"So you're Khan..." said Hal. "You're right. I don't know you...but I'm pretty sure I know your type." He then fired a green energy beam at the Red Lantern.

"Target Khan first!" ordered Kirk. "Phasers on kill!" Immediately, everyone began firing, but Khan just fended the phaser shots off as if they were nothing, only to have himself caught in a green construct.

"I'm guessing you got that ring from Atrocitus, which can mean only one thing:you killed him." said Hal. "Pretty impressive, but you don't have a clue what kinda power you're wielding right now! And you don't have a shred of my experience!"

"You pitiful fool..." Khan mumbled. "You speak of "power"?"

_I didn't feel fear, or doubt._

_I just felt the void inside me._

_And I had to let it out._

_"I...am...power!"_ Khan yelled, and with that, he released a huge burst of red light which sent Hal flying. A tiny crack was visible on the ring but nobody seemed to notice it except for Inner Khan. "Kirk. I should have killed you when I had the chance. I'm not making the same mistake again. Today, you all die." Khan declared, then turned to Spock and added "You took everything from me."

"What are you talking about?" asked Spock. Khan grabbed him with a construct and forced the Vulcan to meld with him. And what Spock saw was so illogical yet at the same time full of sorrow and anguish, by the time it was over, he was all like "my god, what have I done?". He had just relived the moment where he set off those torpedoes and crippled the USS Vengeance...crippled Khan's one true love.

"N...no!" Spock tried desperately to justify himself. "It was only logical to do that!"

"And you didn't care a bit about how I felt." Khan growled. "You took my Vengeance from me...and did nothing to get him back!"

"I get it, you loved the ship, but how can I do that? That's just illogical!" yelled Spock.

"And taking my blood to revive your precious captain was _not?!_ " Khan retaliated, then formed a giant construct blade from his ring.

Kirk, realizing that Khan was about to execute Spock, suddenly got on his knees and began pleading with the Augment. "Please!" he cried. "Not Spock! I'll do anything, literally _anything_! I see it, you have a Vengeance-sized hole in your life which is a bloody big one considering what the hell of a ship it was, I'll do everything in my power to mend that hole! But please...not him..."

And seeing it all from a corner, Hal realized. The feelings Kirk had for Spock were not unlike the ones Hal himself had for Sinestro. It was love. What else could it be?

Even if his ring was running out of charges, he knew he had to act—fast. _Ring, don't fail me now!_ he thought as he struggled to get up.

* * *

_Ashes-Celine Dion_

_What's left to say?_

_These prayers ain't working anymore,_

_Every word shot down in flames,_

_What's left to do,_

_With these broken pieces on the floor?_

_I'm losing my voice,_

_Calling on you..._

_'Cause I've been shaking,_

_I've been bending backwards till I'm broke,_

_Watching all these dreams go up in smoke.._

_Let beauty come out of ashes,_

_Let beauty come out of ashes,_

_And when I pray to God all I ask is,_

_Can beauty come out of ashes?_

_Can you use these tears to put out the fires in my soul?_

_'Cause I need you here, woah,_

_'Cause I've been shaking,_

_I've been bending backwards till I'm broke,_

_Watching all these dreams go up in smoke,_

_Let beauty come out of ashes,_

_Let beauty come out of ashes,_

_And when I pray to God all I ask is,_

_Can beauty come out of ashes?_

_Can beauty come out of ashes?_


	2. The Long Approach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check this, homeslice!
> 
> Chapter Two!

"Please!" Kirk was yelling out, "Not Spock! I'll do anything, literally _anything_! I see it, you have a Vengeance-sized hole in your life which is a bloody big one considering what the hell of a ship it was, I'll do everything in my power to mend that hole! But please...not him..."

 _Ring, don't fail me now!_ thought Hal as he struggled to get himself back up. Khan seemed to ignore Kirk's desperate pleas and was raising his construct high up in the air, bright red tendrils carrying Spock within range of the massive blade. Kirk was now in tears, and the other Enterprise crew members watched in horror as their first officer was carried to his death.

"O my Vengeance, they say vengeance is sweet but would it be as sweet as you? But still, I shall have the blood of your killer flowing into every corner of the universe so you may rest easy, and forge thousands of red rings from that same blood to serve as instruments of justice, so that no other in the universe would suffer your fate." Khan recited before bringing the blade down, and Spock screwed his eyes shut, ready to embrace the impending doom.

 _Fool,_ thought Kirk, _does he even know that Vulcan blood is green?_ But still, he felt hopeless. He hated himself for not being able to save his beloved commander. But before the full force of Khan's legendary wrath could be brought on Spock, something unexpected happened. The blade shattered into a million pieces. A Green Lantern had put a protective barrier around the Vulcan. Everyone looked up to see one Guy Gardner, accompanied by John Stewart and Kilowog. "Oh, hey, look, it's angry English dude again!" Guy hollered. "Ready for round two?" That ticked Khan off even more; he might look like an Englishman due to his genes being completely random but, deep down in his heart, he was Indian. After all, he was raised by one, and named for her dead son. He made a fighting stance, but the three Green Lanterns blasted him out of the Bryant's hull.

"Let's see how tough you are without your friends to help you!" said John, while Hal and the Enterprise crewmen were beamed back to the Enterprise.

Meanwhile, Khan was being forced to take on three enemies by himself. "We still got a little light left!" declared Kilowog.

"Not so fun when it's three on one, huh?" added Guy.

Those on the Enterprise saw the struggle, and Leonard McCoy said "Is that Khan?".

"Target phasers on him!" Uhura ordered. "Fire!"

And so, the Enterprise rained phaser blasts on poor Khan, and down he went, back into the hole he made. Then suddenly, the Green Lanterns noticed that their rings were low on light, and requested the Enterprise to beam them in. "Captain on the bridge!" announced Uhura as soon as everybody was in.

"Lock a tractor beam on the Bryant!" ordered Kirk. "We can't let Khan get away!" But then, another miracle took place. Red energy enveloped the Bryant, and then suddenly, she high-tailed out of the place. "Never thought I'd see Khan run scared." Kirk quipped.

"I do not believe we did, captain." said Spock. "Knowing Khan Noonien Singh as we do...his retreat was entirely _tactical._ "

A few moments later, everyone was gathered up at a table. "None of us have anything left." Guy complained. "Except for jewelry..."

"We have a chance to recharge them, if we get to Oa." said Hal. "It's our only chance."

"But you said Oa was located at the center of the universe." said Kirk. "The Enterprise can't get there on her own."

"She's not alone." Hal told him. "She's got help." He then turned to the manhunter they'd secured, and asked "Do you manhunters use teleport gates to get around, the way you did in my reality?"

The manhunter told him yes, and Hal clapped his hands in joy. "So the Enterprise can use them to reach Oa!"

"Um...excuse me...did you say "teleport gates"?" asked Scotty.

"Captain, before we depart for Oa, there is something we should—" Spock began.

" _Khan_." said Kirk.

"Indeed." replied Spock.

"Who cares?" Guy belted out. "Let him run around vomiting blood with his minions in tow! We need to recharge our rings!"

"Your point is well-taken, Mr. Gardner." said Spock. "But we must determine which of the challenges we face is the most critical at the time. Khan wants only one thing:to conquer."

"Wait, hold up." said Kirk. "He didn't sound like a conqueror, more like a man whose loved one was killed. He also said something involving the USS Vengeance—said the ship was _his_. And when he showed up wearing that ring, the first thing he went after was _you_. I believe you got him into a Captain Ahab situation back in 2259, thus making you Moby Dick."

"Nevertheless, he and his Augments pose an immediate threat to the security of the Federation, especially Earth." Spock said.

"Khan's ring will eventually run outta power like ours just did." Hal said. "Right now his rage is boosting whatever Atrocitus had left, and it's gonna stay like that unless he finds a way to power himself up."

"But Spock's right, Hal." Kirk told him. "We can't leave when Khan's on the loose."

"Jim, if Sinestro gets to Oa and recharges the ring first—if he takes control of the central power battery—Augments will be the least of our problems." Hal ranted.

"The dilemma we face is considerable." Spock butted in. "But in my time on the Enterprise, I have come to believe that no scenario is truly...unwinnable." And so everyone headed to Oa, which wasn't that much of a big deal since Hal somehow knew the exact coordinates.

Meanwhile, on Qo'noS, our hero entered the imperial chambers to find Larfleeze there. He smacked him with a construct to wake the sleeping alien up. "Who the heck are you?" yelled Larfleeze.

"I am looking for the Klingon Emperor." Khan declared. "These are the imperial chambers...and you are not the Emperor."

"Am _too!_ " yelled Larfleeze. "Well, temporary emperor, anyway, until Sinestro gets back!"

"This...Sinestro...is the Klingon Emperor?" asked Khan.

"Yeah, Well, he's not Klingon, but he killed the High Council with his ring and took over, so all the Klingons obey him now, but he had to fly off to Oa, took my ring with him, left me here to keep his throne warm until—"

"Hold on a sec." Khan said, suddenly cutting in. "You said Sinestro had a ring like mine?"

"Nah. His is yellow, y'know, the color of fear. Turns out the Klingons are all about fear. Although, based on the ones I've met so far..." Larfleeze rambled. "They seem really into _rage_ , too."

This made Khan smile. With their aid, he could actually get vengeance for his Vengeance...and fill the void within. Little did he know what was already happening on Oa, where Sinestro was explaining to the Guardians Of The Universe.

"Though we've only just met, I already know so much about you." said the Korugarian. "I know that several years ago, you encountered a terrible being who threatened the universe itself. I know that you captured him and locked him inside this massive power battery—it now exists as an impurity within this battery's core. A _yellow_ impurity."

"How could you possibly know this?!" cried a Guardian. "Who the heck are you?"

Sinestro smirked. "I already told you..." He then proceeded to drag Parallax, the Yellow Fear Entity, out of the battery and to himself. There was a sudden overload of yellow light—and he now stood in a different outfit, the very same one he wore while fighting Volthoom, complete with a golden cape flowing from his shoulders. "I am Thaal Sinestro of Korugar, and the universe...is _mine!_ "

* * *

Back on Qo'noS, Khan had ordered his crew to take care of the security, which they did. "You know who I am." said the Red Lantern. "The last time I was on this planet, I slaughtered an entire squadron of you. And that was _without_ my family by my side. Surely you realize that my victory is inevitable...so why waste your time and mine? Besides..." he said as he got himself off the ground, holding the corpse of Larfleeze by its snapped neck. "I have a mutually beneficial proposal for you."

"This is the second time a stranger with a ring has invaded the highest sanctum of our empire!" roared a Klingon Council member.

"We pledged allegiance to Sinestro because he promised to end the Federation once and for all." added another. "What more could you possibly offer?"

"Freedom from Sinestro." Khan said, and threw the corpse of Larfleeze in front of the Council. "This grotesque animal told me of Sinestro's plan, and how to follow him to the planet Oa. Once I acquire the power Sinestro seeks, we will invade the heart of the Federation together in numbers they cannot withstand. Earth will be mine, and you will have your empire back. So shall we continue battling against ourselves...or create the future together?"

While all this was happening, chaos had been unleashed on Oa. "How is this possible, Ganthet?" asked a Guardian named Tantho. "How can the stranger have freed the Yellow Entity from his prison? How can he be so powerful?" Suddenly, the ceiling above the Guardians cracked. "He is shaking the very foundations of Oa!" cried Tantho.

"Do not give in to your fear, Tantho." said Sayd, a female Guardian. "That is the surest path to ruin."

"She's right." added Ganthet, Sayd's secret lover. "Now is the time to resist. You saw the rings the stranger bears, now is the time to test our prototype. To see if our grand experiment is worthy..." He then opened a container, revealing a beautiful green ring.

Meanwhile, Sinestro was wreaking havoc outside. He bellowed out, "Your vaunted willpower is formidable indeed, Guardians. But something even stronger rises inside you now. Something you have not felt in eons. You are _afraid._ I have spent a lifetime learning to harness and wield the power of the Yellow Entity, while you all have grown complacent. Prideful. Weak. Here and now, I will end your precious Green Lantern Corps... _before it can even begin!_ " He then made some constructs that immediately latched onto the Green Power Battery, and was about to crush it when something hit him from above. It was the Enterprise! Hal's crazy plan had worked!

"Direct hit, commander! Ready to fire again on your command!" said Hikaru Sulu.

"Hold fire, lieutenant." said Spock, then ordered "Manhunters...attack."

Immediately, a swarm of manhunters were dispatched from the Enterprise, and they all focused their attacks on Sinestro, chanting _No man escapes the manhunters._

"Captain, the target has been engaged. Proceed with caution." said Spock.

"Aye, commander." replied Kirk, as he and the four Green Lanterns beamed near the Green Power Battery.

"Aw, yeah, baby! Time to recharge!" cried Guy.

Meanwhile, back on the Enterprise, Uhura had picked up a signal. A buncha ships were coming in...and they were Klingon!

"What the juice?" yelled McCoy.

"Khan." Spock replied. "Evasive action, Mr. Sulu."

"Aye, commander!" said Sulu, and the Enterprise did her best to avoid the Klingon attacks while Sinestro used Parallax to wipe out the manhunters. "Pathetic machines". he scoffed. "You thought you could do better than the fools who built you?"

Meanwhile, Kirk and the greens got close enough to the gigantic lantern. "We're close enough!" said Hal. "Greenies, time to..." But then, a red energy blast knocked them out.

"Hello again." said Khan, as he landed in front of the five. He then grabbed Kirk by the neck and said "Tell me, captain...did you ever dream as a little boy playing starships that you would one day visit the center of the universe? I can't think of a better place to _die._ "

Hiding in the rubble, Ganthet, Sayd and Tantho were putting all their hopes into the green ring. "By the sacred pages of the Book Of Oa...may you find a worthy bearer." And the ring whizzed away...to find its resting place upon a worthy hand.

_James Tiberius Kirk of Earth, you have the willpower to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps._

"Wowzers!" said Khan.

"I don't know you, Red Lantern." Sinestro declared. "But if you interfere with me, you die with Kirk."

"Sinestro, I presume. The same goes for you." Khan quipped.

Kirk had enough, and decided to step in. "Both of you...stop talking." he said sternly. "Captain's orders."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next stop:Khan's rise as the Dawnbreaker!


	3. A Khan's Reign

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this one, our hero realizes what he'd been looking for was actually inside him all the time, and learns to embrace the void instead of tryna fill it. Also, don't hate me that I decided to kill Chekov off—it's me corresponding to Anton Yelchin's death in real life and also, his accent seemed to fight me. That's why I refused to write him in the previous two chappies.
> 
> Chapter Tres!

"Your new toy won't save you, Kirk." said Khan. "And yet you still resist, hoping that your luck hasn't finally run out. Unwilling to accept the truth that you _die_ today...how pathetic, and how very like you."

"You have no idea what to do with that ring, do you, Kirk?" Sinestro added. "It's almost too cruel to watch."

The Green Lanterns watched as their newest addition struggled with two adversaries, and then, suddenly, Kirk said "I think I'm getting the hang of it!" before knocking Khan and Sinestro away.

"No time to waste!" said Hal as he and the other three got back up, and, together, they took the oath:

_"In brightest day, in blackest night,_

_No evil shall escape my sight._

_Let those who worship evil's might..._

_Beware my power—Green Lantern's light!"_

Meanwhile, Kirk was having fun. "This is incredible!" he cried. "I just imagine it, and it happens!"

Suddenly, yellow restraints were put on him. "Oh, _please,_ " said Sinestro, "You're like a child fumbling with a bomb. It will be a mercy to kill you before you kill yourself."

Then again, Sinestro got caught by an octopus construct from Hal. "Give him a break, Thaal." Hal said, "We were all rookies with a ring once. Even you."

"Ready for round three, ugly?" Guy called out to Khan as he came in with Kilowog.

Meanwhile, John was talking to Ganthet. "Hello!" he greeted.

"You know me, stranger?" asked Ganthet.

"Trust me, we go way back." John said, smiling.

Sayd chimed in. "You all bear the same ring! Impossible..."

"Only because, in this reality, the Guardians haven't created the Corps yet. Hopefully you'll get the chance..." said John as he jetted off to join the others.

In orbit above, the Enterprise was under heavy fire from Klingons. "They're demanding our surrender!" cried Uhura. "Still no contact with Captain Kirk on the ground!"

"We're outnumbered _and_ outgunned! Shields at 9%!" cried Sulu.

"All power to aft shields. Maintain evasive maneuvers. Plot an intercept course to the captain's last known location on the surface." Spock commanded.

Meanwhile, Scotty was talking to his new girlfriend. "Carol, gimme yer ring! I'll try and recharge it somehow, it might be our only chance—"

Ferris cut in, and said "Without a power battery, it's no use. But mayhaps...I don't need one." She then cupped Scotty's face and demanded "Kiss me, Monty."

"Auch, I'd love to, dah-ling, but we're in a bit of a wacky situation at the moment—" Before Scotty could finish his sentence, Ferris pulled him close and kissed him. And in no time at all, she was in full Star Sapphire gear.

"Everything I need has been right here all along." declared Ferris. "Love powers my ring, and this starship...it's filled with it!"

"Commander!" an ensign alerted, "Shields have been amplified—to _near-invincibility!_ "

"Fascinating!" said Spock. "Mr. Sulu, ready all weapons and change course...to engage the enemy!"

Now, everything went loco! While Ferris and the Enterprise took down the Klingon ships one by one, the Green Lanterns were dealing with Khan and Sinestro on the ground. Suddenly, Hal flew forward and kissed the Yellow Lantern, full on the lips, catching him off guard long enough for him to be subdued. Meanwhile, Khan was ready to finish Kirk off when suddenly, he felt himself weakening. "What the—?!" he yelled.

"Your ring's dying, Khan!" declared Kirk. "Your Augment army's finished. Their rage can't fuel your ring anymore!"

Khan looked over to see his beloved crew, all knocked out by the damned Green Lanterns. A single tear fell from his eye, followed by more, and more, and more, until they were replaced by red light flowing out of his eyes.

_Rage at 100%._

And now it was Kirk's turn to be surprised. "Holy bagumba!" he cried, and, panicked, tried desperately to escape.

_Error. Rage at 117%._

_Error. Rage at 181%._

_Error. Rage exceeds—skwaaak—_

_Malfuuuunctkrxbltdz—_

Deep within Khan's mindscape, the First Sacred Door was shaking uncontrollably. The lock was breaking and shadows were making their way out.

Inner Khan took a deep breath, knowing that it was finally time.

_The ring worked by rage._

_And I'm enraged to an extreme._

_But the void was inside me, too._

_I cracked open the ring. Pushed it past the light._

_I let the darkness inside me escape._

_..._

_KHAN:_

_Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!_

_I will not cry,_

_I'm okay,_

_I tried so hard to play their way..._

_Hopes and dreams can vanish in the dawn,_

_I rather have a weapon than a rotten curse,_

_A rotten curse!_

_All I ever wanted was love and a family,_

_Is that too much to ask?!_

_To them I'm just a little worm,_

_That they wish to pull me apart!_

_EVIL SHADOWS:_

_Enhanced freak_

_Embarrassment to nature_

Each of the greens whimpered and groaned in terror and agony, feeling every pain and every sorrow Khan felt in his life before Hal groaned out, "Please stop! No more! Please!"

"Khan!" Kirk cried in agony.

_EVIL SHADOWS:_

_They'll make fun of you!_

_They will break your heart!_

_Then they'll LAUGH at you!_

_Watching you fall apart..._

Joaquin, another one of Khan's crewmates, managed to get himself back up and stared at his leader with fear-stricken eyes. "Y...Your Eminence...?"

"No." Khan growled. "Not Your Eminence. Call me... _Dawnbreaker._ " He then looked at his ring one more time—the emblem of rage engraved upon it now had a crack through its middle.

_KHAN:_

_Doesn't anybody ever get it right?_

_Doesn't anybody think that I hear?_

"Ring?" he asked.

 _Initiating blackout,_ said the ring.

"YAAAAAGH!" The helpless screams of Green Lanterns echoed around the Oan airscape.

"Oh god, oh god...HUUURK!" A voice cried out, and was silenced soon after.

Even Sinestro, knowing that this new Khan was a force to be reckoned with, opened a portal and escaped to the source of fear, the Anti-Matter Universe.

_KHAN:_

_I've had enough of your abusing and your hurting!_

_Prepare to feel the wrath of my destruction,_

_Your time has come!_

_Pray or..._

_I will burn you!_

_I will burn yoooooooooooooou!_

"Ring! Get this off me—!" ordered Kirk.

And the ring said, _Construct of unknown composition. Power ring is not operating correctly. Impossible._

"Don't tell me impossible! Just fight back!" Kirk yelled.

_Malfunction, James Tiberius Kirk. There is no light. There is no light..._

The last thing Kirk felt was being enveloped in warm golden light before Khan's monsters could devour him.

The Dawnbreaker took his time, watching his dark constructs toy with the enemies. He sent some of them up above, to grab suitable sacrifices from the Enterprise so that he could form a lake with their blood. When the dust settled, he swept up his crew in a construct sphere, all 72 of them, and jetted off to an unknown location.

_And in the darkness..._

_I wasn't alone anymore._

* * *

"Nnggh..." Kirk groaned as he woke up on a dark Enterprise, the five green rings(including his own) and Ferris's violet ring being the only sources of light in the bridge.

"Oh my God, Jim!" cried Uhura as she rushed over to her captain's side. "Are you alright?"

"M'm fine." mumbled the captain. "Khan...when I informed him of his defeat, he suddenly turned the tables with a fully charged ring."

"What's worse is...he _actually_ found a way to power himself up." Hal added.

"I know." said Uhura. "We all know. Carol...she tried her best to protect us but in the end, a great many crewmembers were taken, most of them red shirts and we're missing a lot of our medical supplies too. And you know what? Pavel...he's been abducted as well."

This made Kirk shocked to the core. Pavel Chekov was a literal ray of sunshine, who else could do it like him? If by any chance, something terrible happened to him...

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Guy. "Let's go and get 'em!"

"Not so fast." said Spock. "We need to locate Khan first."

Speaking of Khan, where was he right now? He was at the distant planet of Ysmault, inside an old temple, tending to his crew with the medical supplies he'd taken when he raided the Enterprise. Sickly red bandages were wrapped around their wounds, while a buncha people were tied up in a corner. The ropes holding them were the same shade of red as the Augments' bandages—the captives were all Enterprise crewmembers, and one Pavel Chekov was included. The poor kid was scared sh*tless, and the other officers tried their best to comfort him, reassuring him that Starfleet will come to save them all. Coalesced hope. Empty prayers. Disembodied faith. Tomorrow, they would all meet their horrible fate.

After all his friends had fallen asleep, Khan gazed up at the stars, recalling all the weird love stories of the universe. Sevrine of Tellar Prime and her pet beast. Eleen of Capella IV and her worship of a male statue. Kehrar Th'iraalnoth of Andoria and his infatuation with the stuffed corpse of a dead woman. Even something that happened on Earth, that began in the early 2020s—a woman named Lei-yeh-nar Oh and the love of her life, a fictional character known as Grand Admiral Thrawn, who was apparently a Star Wars character. Not even close. The Augment summoned a life-sized construct of the USS Vengeance, but it never felt the same. It wasn't _him_. He wanted the real thing, but it was nigh impossible. The least he could do was have that Vulcan's blood flowing into the soon-to-be-formed blood lake.

_I had the most powerful weapon in the whole entire universe on my finger._

_But I would have given it up to have my Vengeance._

_..._

_The Next Day_

"Dawnbreaker!" Malik called from the temple's grand hall. "The pit is ready!"

Khan smiled. The big day had arrived.

The Augments had recovered and had the sacrifices lined up in front of the pit, Pavel Chekov being the first to offer his life in the creation of the new red corps. As the young man was carried to the point of death, he could hear the screams all around him. 72 supermen chanting for their leader. Hundreds of Enterprisers fearing for one of their youngest members. In an instant, Chekov saw his entire life flash before his eyes—enrolling in Starfleet Academy, boarding the Enterprise, and meeting the love of his life, not caring a bit that he was married. Piercing through them all was a wine-colored vision of the same man that had terrorized the Enterprise back in 2259, swimming before his very eyes like an ancient demon straight out of one of those old cautionary tales that his mother would tell him when he was small.

_What do you want, Khan? Retribution? Or just...blood? Did the universe send you back as punishment for seducing a married man?_

Before he had his throat slit by the cold, cold edge of a red knife, his mind flashed back to the moment Sulu dumped him. "This has to stop. I can't keep doing this, it's tearing me apart. I love you, but I can't do this to him or to my little girl. I'm sorry." rang through the poor man's head before he blacked out, and then he knew no more.

As he watched the Russian's blood flow into the pit, Khan gave a sick, twisted, smirk. The first blood offering had been made, and the others would soon follow. One by one, the remaining sacrifices were brought forth to the point of death, to be granted a quick end.

By the time the last man was sacrificed, Khan signaled his crew that it was time and gave each of them construct knives before slitting his own wrist and adding his own corrupted blood to the mix. The 72 Augments did the same and offered their super-blood, and when it was all done, the new blood lake began to shake violently before a massive red lantern, not unlike that of the Green Lanterns, arose from the middle. It was the Red Lantern Central Power Battery. Seeing it, he simply entered it as a child would enter their room.

_Can you imagine it? The most powerful weapon on my finger...and still I felt vulnerable. Helpless._

_I missed him._

_I couldn't take it anymore._

_I didn't want to be Khan Noonien Singh._

_I didn't want to be the Red Lantern._

_Standing in front of a lantern...but feeling submerged in shadow. Like I had never been discovered and awoken, like I was still frozed._

And while an enraged superhuman had stepped into the lantern...it was an inhuman monster that emerged. His uniform had changed in shape—it now resembled an evil suit of armor, with metallic twisted wings on the back. As his family looked on in awe, Khan recited his oath:

_"With darkness black, I choke the light!_

_No brightest day escapes my sight!_

_I turn the dawn into midnight!_

_Beware my power... Dawnbreaker's Might!"_

As the last sentence was spoken, 72 red rings emerged from the blood lake and found their bearers. They all dumped into the lake what used to be their own blood, and thus, the Red Light of Rage had once again been ignited in a new universe.

_KHAN:_

_I used to believe,_

_In the days I was naive,_

_That I'd live to see,_

_A day of justice dawn._

_And though I will die,_

_Long before that morning comes,_

_I'll die while believing still,_

_It will come when I am gone._

_Someday,_

_When we are wiser,_

_When the world's older,_

_When we have learned,_

_I pray,_

_Someday we may yet live,_

_To live,_

_And let live..._

_Someday,_

_Life will be fairer,_

_MALIK:_

_Life will be fairer,_

_KATI:_

_Need will be rarer,_

_JOAQUIN:_

_Need will be rarer,_

_SUZETTE:_

_Greed will not pay,_

_OTTO:_

_Greed will not pay,_

_EVERYONE:_

_Godspeed,_

_This bright millennium,_

_On its way,_

_Let it come someday..._

_KHAN:_

_When the world's older,_

_When things have changed,_

_EVERYONE:_

_Someday,_

_These dreams will all be real,_

_'Till then, we'll,_

_Wish upon the moon,_

_Change will come..._

_KHAN:_

_One day..._

_REDS CHORUS:_

_Someday..._

_Soon..._


	4. A Feud In The Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of crazy stuff happens in this chapter. Khan finally meets his inner counterpart, Sinestro wishes to make it up with one Hal Jordan, and Spock muses over what had happened back in the Bryant. Please keep in mind that in this story, I consider DC's Anti-Matter Universe and Trek's Mirror Universe the same thing.
> 
> Also, one more thing—in DC canon, the blue light of hope is described as the most powerful emotion in the universe, but in my stories, that title is given to the violet light of love since love conquers everything in Leyenarville. Don't lose hope, blues, 'cuz your emotion is still the second most powerful!
> 
> Hindi Translation:  
> Dhoom=a word meaning "blast" or "bang"  
> Ek minat rukie="just a minute"
> 
> Numero Four!

He was perfect.

Underneath that sleek and elegant exterior there had to be something truly lethal and dangerous. That was what Admiral Marcus had ordered him to do, and, believe it or not, Khan actually wanted to do it. He was now on a mission. He was here to make a statement. A statement that came to into its own, out of the head of a hated one and into the real world.

A statement the entirety of Section 31 called the USS Vengeance.

When he was finished, he just sat there, tall and proud, more real than Khan could ever believe. Painted black, with a wide thin saucer and bold and powerful nacelles. Lying within him were deadly phasers and photon torpedoes. A real warrior. He radiated chaos just waiting to happen. The USS Vengeance was more than perfect.

He was Khan's, the very embodiment of the man's jaded past. The Vengeance was energy, was defiance and righteousness in the only proper way Khan knew how—through revolution. Break the rules, the arbitrary restrictions that existed because someone said they had to.

Although it would take a little time for them to break through, it was but a minor inconvenience for the sense of the two of feeling whole and together. Everything felt right when they were together, in their own little world which ironically had enough room for an 1459-meter-long warship to fit in. Whenever Khan was in bed, he would have dreams of himself as the supreme ruler of the known universe and the Vengeance as the crown jewel of his empire. Of planets painted in shades of disarray, the mayhem left in the Vengeance's wake peeling back the paint on the orderly functions of the galaxy. It was beautiful to witness, seeing life, energy of a different sort breathing through the solar systems. At the end of their escapades, the aftereffects of their conquests would still linger, like graffiti that had been painted over.

Those days, those glorious days—they seemed like they would never end. Like the summers that don't come fast enough and leave too soon, the Vengeance was gone as well. It had been a group effort, spearheaded by...by some pointy-eared bastard who stabbed Khan in the back, deceived him, and then deemed his love for the ship "illogical" when it had been the purest and truest form of love any being in the universe can ever experience.

The wholeness that Khan had felt before was gone now. There was a void in the universe where his Vengeance used to be. On the day of his court martial, sun shone brightly and the clouds were far and few. The world had never felt colder to Khan. Every fiber of Khan's being, the very core of his soul grieved for the USS Vengeance. His lovingly crafted weapon of mass destruction, the ship he'd poured so much of himself into….hopes and dreams, fears and ideals…they were gone like every life he snuffed out, gone with the wind.

It's been five years, and the tears won't stop coming. Khan wanted more than anything to be back in the cold embrace of his beautiful ship, and he would be once vengeance for said ship was complete. The Red Lanterns? Hopefully they would be left in good hands. For now, he needed guilty blood for his Central Power Battery.

"You, Malik, will seek out crimes of oppression and resentment." ordered the Dawnbreaker. "Kati will have crimes of passion and depravity. Joaquin, fear and madness. And Otto..."

"Excuse me, sir? Dawnbreaker?" asked Suzette, in a broad Louisiana accent. "What of you?"

"Before I cracked her open, the ring told me to hunt down and have... _vengeance_...on the guilty one who first enraged you. Until a Red Lantern does this, they cannot be a true Red Lantern." Khan said.

"If that's the case, then I'm with you." Suzette announced in that drawl that never failed to surprise those who judged her solely by her Asian appearance. It was a trait that the two of them shared. If people judged Khan solely by his pale skin and light eyes, they would assume that he was Anglo, not Desi.

"So am I, my liege." added Malik.

"Count me in." Joaquin declared.

"We are all Red Lanterns, after all. Let us help." said Kati.

"I swore to be your shield until the day of my death." Otto said. "Let me make good on that vow."

In no time, all the 72 reds present began crying out their desire to follow their leader, but Khan just waved them off and told them "I am truly grateful for your loyalty, but I'm afraid my task is slightly different from yours. It must be carried out by me, and me alone. Worry not, once I am finished, Starfleet will be yours to eradicate."

"Really?" asked Joaquin.

"Really." Khan confirmed. "But for now, I will just be satisfied with the guilty blood you offer." His corrupted red ring seemed to bleed, in resonance with his aching heart and all of a sudden, he was in his deep subconscious where he was above the Earth's orbit in space.

He opened his eyes as he found himself floating above the Earth's atmosphere. He looked in front of him to see the giant red sun alongside the four sacred doors. Two of them were open and the other two were still locked.

"Huh? Where am I?" Khan asked as he looked around and confirmed that he was indeed back inside his subconscious where light and darkness mingled to become one and where the four doors were. The First Sacred Door, now wide open, had shadows pouring out of it and the Second Sacred Door, which was also wide open, let out a belch of crimson flame every second. The other two were locked and held something unknown behind them which Khan wanted to know.

Khan floated to where the Red Sun was located which represented the whirlwind of emotions within him. It had a dark tint to it, as if it was shrouded in darkness and read "VENGEANCE" although he was unsure whether it meant his Vengeance or actual vengeance. Maybe it could mean both!

But something about it felt different to Khan. It looked a lot bigger to him. And also it felt…hotter and he felt a lot more power and energy emanating from the humongous Red Sun. Maybe it was just him, but something did feel a lot more different than last time around. And then suddenly, he heard a voice _very similar_ to his.

_Welcome, Dawnbreaker._

The Red Lantern looked behind him to see who it was and then he had one of the biggest shocks of his life.

Floating there, was…himself. He was staring at an exact copy of Khan Noonien Singh. Everything was exactly the same. From the hair, to the eyes, the height, weight, arms, legs, and even the same intimidating aura he wore around him. The only difference was that this new Khan was wearing a regal-looking black sherwani, while the Dawnbreaker himself was wearing his Lantern Uniform in full battle gear.

"Holy unanticipated occurrences!" Khan cried out. "W-W-What?! W-Who are you?! Why do you look so much like me?" he asked as he was absolutely baffled at the fact there was a literal clone of himself floating in space with him.

Inner Khan smiled as he replied to Khan's question, _Oh, that's easy! I am you! And you are me!_

Khan's mouth hung open as he thought he was hearing things.

"Okay, you lost me. You just said that you are me and I am you. Ummmm….Can you please explain what you mean by that?" Khan asked as he scratched his head in even more confusion.

The other Khan sighed as he knew that it wasn't going to be that easy for Khan to understand. _Alright, so here's the rundown. So there's you, Khan Noonien Singh. You know, your regular self. But inside of you, there's a special place called your subconscious. Think of it as like your own little inner world where you are completely cut off from the outside world. Nobody can see nor hear us right now as we speak to each other in the subconscious. You know, you when you go into your little muttering rants? You start to lose awareness of the outside world and focus more on your own self and your inner thinking. But when you enter the subconscious, that's when you fully go into your inner world. Get it, so far?_

Khan nodded, "Yeah, it does make sense."

 _Yes, that is true. Now, let me explain to you what exactly I am. When I said that I am you and you are me, I meant it. You see, I am the "Inner Khan". Basically, I am the manifestation of what you truly are inside. All inner thoughts that you have ever had or things that you keep tucked away, I am all of it. I was created for the sole purpose of assisting you on your journey to bringing justice to this universe and whatever you decide to do in life._ Inner Khan said as he finished his explanation.

"Wowzers! that's a lot to take in!" Khan said as he held his chin and began thinking. Then a light bulb lit up in his head. "O-o-h, NOW I get it! So I can think of you like the twin brother I never had!" the Dawnbreaker said, excited at the prospect of having a sibling like version of himself.

 _I guess you can think of me like that. The only difference being that twins are 100% alike. However me and you are technically the same person, just in different forms._ Inner Khan replied as he honestly kind of liked the idea of having a twin brother. He then pointed at the four doors and explained _My purpose is to help you UNLOCK these doors and to guide you in your journey. I open the doors when you are both physically and mentally ready for the gargantuan amount of powers that these doors hold. They are locked right now because you are still not ready, and door number one opened when you filled the red ring with the void in your soul, overcharging it with your twisted rage. Remember what you did to Kirk and the Green Lanterns? That was...a real dhoom, to speak._

"You observed it all..." Khan muttered.

 _Indeed I did,_ replied Inner Khan. _And that's only a taste of your true potential. What you did to the greens will be child's play compared to the power that you will have access to in the future._

"You can't be serious…What could possibly be more powerful than that?!" Khan asked in disbelief. There can't possibly be anything stronger than what he did against the Green Lanterns…right?

Inner Khan just snickered. _You'll find out in due time. Right now, just focus on door number two, it opened_ _when you stepped into the Red Power Battery, supercharging yourself with a mixture of darkness and red energy. And you should go back to your reds, they need you more than ever. So talk to you later, alright!_

Khan began waving his hands around. "Ek minat rukie! I still have a lot more questions..."

Inner Khan snapped his fingers and Khan vanished from the subconscious as he was now going back to the real world.

_Don't worry, friend. All of your questions will be answered in time. You just have to be patient…_

* * *

In the Anti-Matter Universe, Sinestro was staying at the planet Qward as he was lining up his new recruits. Most of them were soldiers of the Terran Empire, a nation of intergalactic conquerors he'd discovered upon coming to this world. And at the epicenter of them all were Captains Kirk and Spock, co-captains of a super-starship called the Narada, once Captain Spock and First Officer Kirk of the ISS Enterprise. They had a feud in the past—a feud that reminded the Korugarian greatly of his own feud with Jordan, with only one difference:Anti-Matter Spock(who was bearded, by the way) actually made efforts to make up with Anti-Matter Kirk and succeeded where Sinestro had failed. But he wouldn't fail again. This time around Sinestro avoided the sadists and murderers—these were civilized fearmongers, more like a police force made up of Batmen than its predecessor.

Another change had been made, this time in name. He didn't call it the Sinestro Corps, but rather the Yellow Lantern Corps. He hoped Jordan would like it. That kiss at Oa had brought back memories—ones he were actually very fond of, ones that went waaaay back. Ever since the being known as Harold Jordan was introduced to his life, he hated him. Sinestro wanted him gone. He took over Abin Sur's ring...and that stung him. He gave "the human", as he refered him to others, a hard time to see if he was capable of being great.

When Hal would talk back to his mentor, Sinestro would hate him even more. So much so that he would threaten him. Hal laughed in his face, unable to fear a pink-skinned man who donned a clean cut mustache. Unable to contain himself, he started following Hal and physically harming him. At first it started with a push here, or a shove there. Then he started forcing himself on him, even kissing him at one point.

Sinestro didn't want to admit he wanted the human. He wanted the feeling to go away. Vanish. But it stayed, in fact, it flourished. Whenever he would have an opportunity to take a glance of the very handsome being before him, he would. He was always on his mind. No matter how much he hated him, he wanted Hal. No matter where he was, his thoughts were always of Hal. Thaal Sinestro was in love with Hal Jordan.

_~FLASHBACK~_

Green Lantern Sinestro wandered around the pristine Oan hallways, and tried to shake his (((feelings))) away by praying to an ancient Korugarian deity that he had little to no faith in. ( **Sorry, had to come up with a decent replacement for the Virgin Mary.** )

_Hellfire-Mark Strong_

_Beata Sarea,_

_You know I am a righteous man,_

_Of my virtue I am justly proud._

_(Et tibit Lumina)_

_Beata Sarea,_

_You know I'm so much purer than,_

_The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd!_

_(Quia peccavi nimis)_

_Then tell me, Sarea,_

_Why I see him fighting there,_

_Why his smold'ring eyes still scorch my soul,_

_(Cogitatione)_

_I feel him, I see him,_

_The stars caught in his earthly hair,_

_Is blazing in me out of all control!_

_(Verbo et opere)_

_Like fire,_

_Hellfire,_

_This fire in my skin,_

_This burning,_

_Desire,_

_Is turning me to sin!_

_It's not my fault!_

_(Mea culpa)_

_I'm not to blame!_

_(Mea culpa)_

_It is the human boy,_

_The witch who sent this flame!_

_(Mea maxima culpa)_

_It's not my fault!_

_(Mea culpa)_

_If in God's plan,_

_(Mea culpa)_

_They made the devil so much stronger than a man!_

_(Mea maxima culpa)_

_Protect me, Sarea,_

_Don't let the siren cast his spell,_

_Don't let his fire sear my flesh and bone!_

_Destroy Jordan,_

_And let him taste the fires of Hell!_

_Or else let him be mine and mine alone!_

_Hellfire,_

_Dark fire,_

_Now, human, it's your turn,_

_Choose me or,_

_Your pyre,_

_Be mine or you will burn!_

_(Kyrie Eleison)_

_Gods have mercy on him,_

_(Kyrie Eleison)_

_Gods have mercy on me,_

_(Kyrie Eleison)_

_But he will be mine,_

_Or he will burn!_

As he finished his singing, Thaal fell to his knees, arms wrapped around himself. "Omigosh! I think...I really do love him!" he gasped out in realization.

_~END FLASHBACK~_

And after a confessing session full of tears and a particularly passionate night, they had made it official as soon as possible—humans would call their relationship a "May-December romance", an instance of the romantic involvement of two parties between whom there is a considerable age difference. Hell, some would say they went too far—Thaal was already making a big name for himself as a Green Lantern when Hal wasn't even born! Even after the falling out on Korugar and the creation of the First Yellow Corps back in the dead universe, the old flame burned on still, and what happened on Oa only confirmed it. He wanted Hal Jordan still, and wanted to make it all up to him, this time with no indigo ring to induce those emotions. The thing that drove Thaal to create a new-and-improved army of fear was something his love told him shortly before their home universe was destroyed:

_If a building is falling down, fix it. Don't tear it down and rebuild. If someone is in danger, help them. Don't rearrange the entire society so they'll never be in danger again. It's where you keep going wrong, honestly._

Indeed, love was the most powerful emotion in the whole entire universe, and the Yellow Lantern could feel Parallax chirping in agreement from inside him. If only some very logical somebody knew that...

* * *

The Enterprise had been towed to Starbase Yorktown for repairment. Commodore Paris, the superintendent of the starbase, had decided to aid the heroic crew in locating Khan, and rescuing the missing crewmembers. Uhura and John were still trying to wrap their heads around the disaster that occurred, while Guy, McCoy and Kilowog were drinking it all away at the local bar. Ferris looked mad-mad, the looks on her face indicated that she just wanted to fly off to wherever Khan was and beat the living daylights out of him, and Scotty was struggling to calm her down. Sulu had been reunited with his husband Ben and daughter Demora, and they were comforting him right now, considering how important Chekov was to Sulu.

Right now, Sulu was distraught. He had realized that he truly loved Pavel Chekov after losing him. Oh, how he loved his Pavel. Ever since that day he first saw him at the Academy. Sweet, sweet Pavel. Sulu swore that when he found Khan, he will never forgive him. He just hoped his Pavel was alive.

Meanwhile, Spock cast a glance at Hal and Kirk, who were having a little conversation and felt a surge of jealousy. He tried his best to repress the emotion to no avail. The truth was, Spock had been in love with Kirk for quite some time now, and recently, he had to rethink his sexual preferences, to put it in human terms, he had realized that he was gay and he wondered if his relationship with Uhura was to hide the fact that he was gay. The whole thing reminded him of that time on the Bryant, when he was about to die and his captain was pleading for his life. Could it be love? If so...

His mind flashed back to one year ago, to the moment where Kirk had taken him out to watch an 21st Century Earth movie, shortly after Krall's defeat.

_~FLASHBACK~_

The movie was highly controversial by 21st Century standards, yet pretty bold for even those of the 23rd Century. It was about a young woman with an electronic brain who fell in love with a giant alien robot, directed by none other than the legendary Leyenar Oh herself. After a lot of action and debate, they finally reached the end.

"Mawwiage. Mawwiage is wot bwings us togedew today. Mawwiage, dat bwessed awwangement, dat dweam wiffin a dweam..."

"Jim, this movie is illogical." said Spock. "Though there are some things that hold the slightest bit realism technologically speaking, all of this movie is terribly false. How can a human possibly love a machine, which clearly cannot reciprocate her feelings towards it? How can it possibly act as her companion, her lover?"

"The dweam of wuv wapped wiffin the gweatew dweam of evewasting west. Etewnity is ouw fwiend, wemembew dat, and wuv, twu wuv, wiww fowwow you fowevah..."

"C'mon, Spock." said Kirk. "What happened to infinite diversity in infinite combinations? Leyenar Oh believed that love came in all shapes and sizes. Hell, she was married to a fictional character herself!" Spock understood; the love story of Leyenar Oh and Grand Admiral Thrawn was recognized as something groundbreaking and show-stopping while the Vulcan had found it illogical.

"So tweasuwe youw wuv..."

Kirk held Spock's hand gently, not knowing a bit that hand-holding was like kissing to Vulcans. "Love will always triumph over logic. That was the message she wished to deliver."

And as he finished speaking, he saw that his half-Vulcan friend was flushed a lovely green shade.

_~END FLASHBACK~_

Suddenly, he heard Yorktown's defense systems whirr to life. Everyone rushed over to the superintendent's office to see what was happening, and it was none other than a Klingon warbird with her forward weapons powered up. Commodore Paris got a transmission and put it on, and the image of a Klingon in full battle gear appeared on the vid screen.

"This is Commodore Paris, superintendent of Starbase Yorktown. You have entered restricted space. Why are you here?" she asked, and the Klingon began speaking in Klingon. "Oh, no, this is bad." she said.

"What's the matter?" asked Hal.

"Lantern Jordan, I believe he's after...you." replied Commodore Paris.

Already the Yorktown defense systems were doing their work and Kirk said "Permission to engage that Klingon ship."

"Permission granted. Make sure that you capture the commanding officers and bring them aboard." replied Commodore Paris, and in no time at all, Kirk was outside in full Lantern gear.

"You are in violation of the Klingon/Federation treaty. You will remove yourself from Federation Space or we will fire upon you and view this as an act of war." said Kirk, but the Klingon refused to listen and the warbird began firing at the intrepid captain.

Kirk retaliated by sending an energy blade that split the ship in half, but left the commanding officers unharmed and brought them back alive as Commodore Paris had ordered him. As soon as they were in, Uhura interrogated them and turns out the commanding officers, Captain Tirrok and his daughter First Officer Shenara, were still loyal to Sinestro and wanted to prove their worth by killing their emperor's biggest enemy, Hal Jordan.

"Lock them up." Commodore Paris ordered. "Maybe we could use them in case that... _Sinestro_...returns."

"Hal, are you alright?" asked Kirk.

"I'm fine, Jim." replied Hal. "I'm just curious what Sinestro will think when he hears of the whole deal."


	5. Flying Uhura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now hang on to your seats, 'cuz this is about to get cray-cray! We meet Aya and some familiar faces, Jaylah and Carol Marcus enter the picture, Uhura finds new love and gets the violet ring back, and the first glimpse of evil is shown.
> 
> I will be writing Qo'noS as Kronos in any speech except for that of Tirrok and Shenara, and there are indeed some orange rings in the Trek universe but they use desire, another form of greed.
> 
> Rihannsu Translation:  
> Hevam=Human (derogatory)
> 
> Chapter Cinque!

A young Romulan warrior named Shiarrael was practicing her combat skills, all for the good of Romulus. She loved her people more than anything, and all she desired was to ensure the planet's safety, after the Nero Incident in 2258. For that she had to be stronger.

A flash of light, as orange as one of her favorite fruit, suddenly illuminated the area, interrupting her training session. "Wha—?" she began, but was cut off mid-sentence.

_Shiarrael D'Amarok of Romulus, you have the desire to protect all you treasure. Welcome, Agent Orange._

And in that instant, it all became clear. She would use this Orange Lantern ring to keep her people safe. Right now, she had to follow her calling.

* * *

Five more days had passed at Yorktown, and those people still had no clue that Khan was at Ysmault. During that time, the four Green Lanterns often followed Kirk to Oa and got themselves well-acquainted with the Guardians Of The Universe once again.

"So what's the problem with Khan?" asked Hal. "Back at the Bryant, he spoke in riddles, such as using the word vengeance twice in the same sentence."

"I'll say!" said Uhura. "He was one of those 20th Century superhuman dictators, who used his amazing intellect and superior strength to lead his fellow superhumans into war and, as a result, took over more than a quarter of the planet. But when us normal humans rebelled against their new enhanced leaders, the tables turned and the Eugenics Wars broke out. The last of the dictators to be toppled was Khan, and he only had time to get 84 of his brethren to safety. He and his 84 found family members were frozed, and they drifted helplessly in space for 300 years until, in the mid-2250s, they were found by a man named Admiral Alexander Marcus. Khan was awoken, and was threatened to do Marcus's bidding or he'd kill the other 84. So, Khan worked for many months under dire conditions, developing a warship and countless other technical toys for Marcus to enjoy. After a time, he learned everything."

"So?" asked John.

"You remember the Klingons, right?" said Uhura. "Marcus wanted a war with them. But despite the tension between Terrans and Klingons, they did not attack for a long time. Admiral Marcus wanted to be the first to strike before it was too late, and he wanted Khan to develop weapons for him, weapons that were so powerful that he could win this war in an instant. Naturally, Khan refused, and Marcus did away with 12 of his crew. To protect the remaining 72, Khan decided to give Marcus what he wanted and developed weapons, not as good as he could have, but good enough to satisfy the corrupt admiral. When Marcus told Khan to make high-range torpedoes, he made a plan and tried to smuggle all the cryo-tubes his crew was in to safety inside of them. But, alas, Khan was discovered and escaped alone, seeking revenge. Now free, he wanted to expose Marcus's plans as well, to save our planet from that war Marcus wanted. So Khan blew up the underground facility he had worked in and escaped by means of a beaming device that could take him wherever he wanted to go. He knew that the plan for an attack that was to assemble Starfleet command in the Daystrom building in Los Angeles, so he went there in a shuttle and killed some of those present there." As she spoke, sadness crept into her voice.

"I'm sorry." said the architect Green Lantern as he put an arm around Uhura.

"Don't be." replied the African. "You weren't even there, after all. Now where was I? Alright, after doing that, Khan fled to Kronos and after going through a lot, we got him but then Marcus showed up in an advanced warship designed by none other than Khan himself, named "Vengeance"."

"O-o-h, so _that_ might be what Khan was talking about..." said Hal.

"When the captain refused to hand Khan over, the other ship attacked." Uhura continued on. "Only because the admiral's daughter, Carol Marcus, was aboard the Enterprise, her father stopped the attack to beam her over. Carol...she seemed furious about her father's plans and actions. When Marcus wanted to continue his attack and destroy the Enterprise with all of her crew and Khan's, the weapons failed. It turned out that our very own Montgomery Scott had snuck onto the Vengeance and manipulated the ship. In the short time we had during that malfunction, Jim went to Khan for help and they got onto the Vengeance in secret. And y'know what? Khan...he actually killed Admiral Marcus and stabbed us in our backs. Then he hailed the Enterprise and forced them to give him the torpedoes, where the cryo-tubes were. What happened next was awesome, we removed the tubes and beamed the activated torpedoes to the Vengeance. Khan sent Scotty, Carol and Jim back, and got ready to attack us but the torpedoes went off and destroyed the Vengeance partly. Khan...he was going down with the ship he designed, and compromised it to set course to Starfleet Headquarters. His attack took away many innocent lives, and the Enterprise had gotten similar problems, but thankfully, she was saved."

"What happened?" asked John.

"Jim...he sacrificed himself to fix the warp core. Spock went totally bonkers and went after Khan to avenge his captain— _our_ captain." A single tear fell from her eye. "But I managed to tell him that we needed Khan's blood to save Jim, and it worked."

Guy and Kilowog felt sorry for Uhura as well as anger. "If I ever get my hands on that scrawny poozer, I'mma swish him to a swazzle, and swash him to a swizzle, and gnash him to a gnozzle, and gnosh him to a gnazzle!" Kilowog bellowed out.

"That's the spirit, Kilo!" Guy joined in.

"Thanks, guys." smiled Uhura. "But you remember what happened on Oa, don't you? Khan's ring can absorb light. Don't risk your rings AND your lives, I won't lose anymore friends."

Suddenly, the Green Lanterns' rings began beeping. "Uh-oh." said Hal. "We gotta go!"

"Okay, bye..." muttered Uhura.

Some time after the greens left, the door opened and Spock walked in. "Lieutenant Uhura, I wish to speak to you." he said.

At the sight of her boyfriend, Uhura was a bit surprised but she calmly spoke, "What's the matter?"

"I wish...I wish to terminate our romantic relationship." Spock said.

Uhura's expression shifted. "What? Why?" she asked.

"I...I have found that my sexual presences are not what we thought they were." Spock said shamefully.

There was a moment of silence, then Uhura blurted out "You're...gay?"

"That would be the correct term on earth, yes." replied the Vulcan.

"You're gay? You're f*cking gay?!" Uhura yelled.

Spock ignored her and continued on "Also, I recently discovered that the captain is my t'hy'la. It is an ancient warrior bond that traces back to when the Vulcans and the Romulans were still one people, the likes of which are beyond your conception. Such a thing has not been seen in many centuries. So, I wish to end things here and now, and start pursuing the captain. I hope you understand."

Uhura couldn't find the words to say. She just stood there, fuming, for a moment before storming out, leaving a stunned Vulcan. Despite everything, she thought of Spock as her one true love and now she was upset. On her way, she bumped into a young man. "Oof! S—sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry. Are you hurt?" said the man.

"Hey. Uh...no. No. I'm...I'm okay." said Uhura as she scanned the man. From the looks, he was a Betazoid, an alien race from the planet Betazed with powerful telepathic and empathic abilities. Betazoids were capable of sensing people's thoughts and emotions as well as associating emotions with colors, and they could also manipulate minds. "I...I just wasn't looking where I was going. But I'm great, actually."

"Oh, thank goodness." said the Betazoid. "I'm Omal Nexi, the Betazoid Ambassador to Earth."

"Nyota Uhura, chief communications officer of the USS Enterprise." said Uhura, now looking more red in the face than black. She then high-tailed out of the place, blushing hard.

_LATER..._

Uhura leaned over one of the balconies, overlooking the stars, unable to shake her mind off one Omal Nexi. He was so beautiful with the atypical dark eyes of his people and the blonde hair made them stand out even more. There was something about him that called to her. Not even Spock who she loved dearly called to her like this man did. She just stayed there looking at the stars until she saw a violet speck of light, streaking towards her.

_Nyota Uhura of Earth, you are capable of giving great love. Welcome back._

The Star Sapphire ring filled the emptiness in Uhura's heart, and she flew off to the Enterprise hangar where she was being fixed. "Looks like it's just you and me now, Ennie." she declared as she began to fill the starship with love. Hopefully it would speed up the process a bit.

Meanwhile, at Oa, all the Green Lanterns had been called. "Lanterns, I'd like you all to meet Aya." said Ganthet as he unveiled a beautiful female figure. "She's the most advanced AI in the whole entire universe, and also the universe's deadliest weapon. We made her purely out of the green light of will, maybe she will be of help in your task of locating the Red Death." Apparently, that was now the Guardians' nickname for Khan.

"Greetings, Corps Leader Kirk and Lanterns Jordan, Gardner, Stewart and Kilowog. I am Aya." the robot replied coolly. She motioned with her hands and a green map appeared all over the place. "This is a map of Space Sector 2814; the Red Death is somewhere around here, if my scans are correct." She then sent the coordinates to everybody's rings.

"Great. Now we gotta go back and tell the others!" replied Kirk. "Mind if I borrow Aya for a while?" he asked Ganthet.

"You can take her." the Guardian replied. "She belongs to the Green Lantern Corps, after all."

And so they brought Aya back to Yorktown, where she was met with all the others. After being told that Aya knew Khan's location, Sulu became overjoyed because it meant seeing Chekov again although he was still worried that something horrible might have happened to his young lover. Scotty took great interest in the AI and wanted to run some tests with her, only to be smacked in the face by a violet construct from Ferris. Spock said Aya was "fascinating", only to be told back "You look like you're bad at feelings."

"Hmph!" snorted McCoy. "Look who's talking! You're a robot, what do you know about feelings?"

"Ignore him, Aya." said Kirk. "Sorry if Bones offended you, it's just that...he can be real grumpy sometimes."

"Like he said, I am a robot. I cannot be offended." replied Aya, causing everyone to laugh out loud.

"Wait a minute...where's Miss Uhura?" asked Sulu.

"She left after I terminated our romantic relationship." Spock said.

This caught Aya's interest. "I am scanning this place now. Scan complete. The female human known as Nyota Uhura is over there." she said, then pointed at a certain direction.

"That's where my silver lady is at!" Scotty cried, surprised.

"What on Earth is Nyota doing with the Enterprise?" asked Kirk, and they all ran to the Enterprise hangar where miracles were happening. Everybody was surprised to see Uhura back in the Star Sapphire uniform.

"Dadgum..." said McCoy, "Uhura, are you..."

"Why?" asked Uhura. "It's a beautiful lady and we all _love_ her, don't we?"

"I mean, where'd you get that ring from?" asked McCoy. "Last time I checked, it was lost when Spock called upon the Life Entity to defeat Nekron."

"I don't know." said Uhura. "It just...came to me."

The whole ordeal made Ferris smile. If Uhura got a violet ring, then there was still a possibility that the Star Sapphire Corps could be rebuilt in this new world. "Come on." she told Uhura, "We have a place to go."

Just then, Guy cried out "Hey, where Aya-girl at?"

They all looked to the direction Aya had went to, and saw that she was trying to talk to the Enterprise. "Oh, you poor, poor thing..." she said, then blew the ship a kiss after saying "Get well soon!"

* * *

_Earth, Starfleet Academy_

One Carol Marcus was going through her daily routine. As she wandered through the school gardens, she thought of all the suffering people of the universe who could use a helping hand and began singing.

_God Help The Outcasts-Alice Eve_

_I don't know if you can hear me,_

_Or if you're even there,_

_I don't know if you would listen,_

_To a humble prayer..._

_They tell me I'm just an outcast,_

_I shouldn't speak to you,_

_Still I see your face and wonder,_

_Were you once an outcast too?_

_God help the outcasts,_

_Hungry from birth,_

_Show them the mercy,_

_They don't find on Earth,_

_The lost and forgotten,_

_They look to you still,_

_God help the outcasts,_

_Or nobody will._

_I ask for nothing,_

_I can get by,_

_But I know so many,_

_Less lucky than I._

_God help the outcasts,_

_The poor and down-trod,_

_I thought we all were,_

_The children of God,_

_I don't know if there's a reason,_

_Why some are blessed, some not,_

_Why the few you seem to favor,_

_They fear us,_

_Flee us,_

_Try not to see us,_

_God help the outcasts,_

_The tattered, the torn,_

_Seeking an answer,_

_To why they were born._

_Winds of misfortune,_

_Have blown them about,_

_You made the outcasts,_

_Don't cast them out,_

_The poor and unlucky,_

_The weak and the odd,_

_I thought we all were,_

_The children of God..._

Just then, she ran into a certain cadet. "Oh! Jaylah, I thought I wouldn't see you here!"

"Hello, Carol." said one Jaylah. She had worked with the Enterprise crew when Krall showed up, and had been like a little sister to Carol ever since she joined Starfleet Academy.

"Please, call me Professor, this is school, remember?"

"Who cares?" said Jaylah, making the blonde remember that her friend was still uneducated. "Anyways, you still taking me on that girls' night out after class? You said that it's really fun..."

"Of course I am!" said Carol.

Suddenly, a portal opened in front of them and out came a number of gentle people. Both Carol and Jaylah didn't know them but recognized them as Lanterns, they had seen people wearing differently colored rings before—the Enterprise had brought them with her. Carol was the first to speak. "Excuse me, people, I don't know you. What brings you here?"

"Nok." replied a woman, who seemed to be the leader. An indigo ring whizzed out from behind her and landed on Carol's finger.

_Carol Marcus of Earth, you have the ability to feel great compassion. Welcome to the Indigo Tribe._

After exchanging some gibberish with the leader, Carol followed the people into another portal. "Hey! Wait for me!" Jaylah yelled as she jumped in before the portal could close.

Beyond the portal, a strange planet was waiting. "Wow..." said Jaylah, observing the dark jungle where specks of indigo light flickered about. She kept walking around and eventually came face-to-face with a gigantic indigo lantern.

"Welcome, stranger." said a low female voice from behind. Jaylah turned around to see the leader, Carol just behind her wearing an indigo mini-skirt that resembled a Starfleet-issued women's uniform and a strangely shaped staff in one hand.

"C-Carol?!" said Jaylah, "What happened? Will you PLEASE explain?"

"Sure!" said Carol. "This nice lady right here, is Indigo-1. She's from another reality; her home reality was destroyed by some kinda death-god named Nekron. At the last moment, she and her gang managed to combine all their light and transport this whole planet to where we are now. They must have sensed my prayers and made me one of them."

"Alright, I get it, I get it!" Jaylah cried. "Now let's get back to school and finish—"

But unfortunately, she was interrupted by beams raining down from up above. Everyone looked up to see a swarm of strangely shaped ships, and from them descended reptilian aliens holding strange mechanisms—for some STRANGE reason, no females could be found. And, for the love of Pete, they were after the _lantern!_ Indigo-1 yelled out orders in a strange language, and added "We have to protect the Central Power Battery at all costs, whatever those invaders are up to, we must not let them do it!"

The biggest and bulkiest of the assault group also ordered his men in another batch of gibberish. His name was First Onagan'matod of the Jem'Hadar, a genetically engineered reptilian species which meant they had no parents and were created in labs, just like Khan and his fellow Augments. The only difference between the Jem'Hadar and the Augments were, the Jem'Hadar had no females and they were all basically clones of one another. Surely there HAD to be a higher force controlling those creeps, but who?

Right now, Jaylah wished there were weapons she could use—she had left them all at her dorm room. She looked all around her, the Indigo Lanterns were holding their own but she only had eyes for Carol. The blonde used her staff to knock away one Jem'Hadar soldier, and blocked a phaser blast with an indigo light shield, then began scanning the area with her new ring since those new adversaries seemed to have an ability that allowed them to blend in with their surroundings. "Ugh...those things..." Carol groaned, "They're like chameleons!"

The last thing Jaylah saw before being knocked out was the enemies' devices latching on to the lantern and draining it, and when she woke up, the area was in shambles. "Jaylah?" Carol was saying, "Jaylah, we did it. Beaten them back."

Indigo-1 sighed. "But there _are_ casualties. We did defeat them, but not before they could take a considerable amount of energy from our Proselyte, our Indigo Entity. And it might take weeks, even months for him to recover...Thankfully, we have the enemy leader secured."

Soon enough, two Indigo Tribesmen brought the enemy leader forth. The Jem'Hadar commander grunted out another load of gibberish, and Indigo-1 ordered "Ring. Translate."

And the ring did just that. Indigo-1 said "He said "You will never win. In the end, the Dominion will rise triumphant!"."

"Oh my God!" said Carol. "Gotta warn Starfleet..."

Meanwhile, in a far-away place, Nyota Uhura was struggling to hold off a swarm of Jem'Hadar ships, with nobody but Carol Ferris and a Romulan at her back. "Anyways, kid—" she huffed out, "What's your name?"

"Shiarrael." the Romulan spat, and added "Why do you ask? That's none of your business, _hevam._ "

Uhura knew precisely what purpose that word served and fired a beam at her. "How dare you call me that!" she snapped.

"You called me kid first!" Shiarrael retaliated, and fired a construct at Uhura, unwittingly saving her from a Jem'Hadar ship attack.

"Come on, you two," Ferris said, "Just stop fighting and focus on the enemy!"

"Okay, fine." said Uhura. "So, _Shiarrael_ —what's your plan?"

"I see a black hole over there." said the Romulan, pointing at a nearby black hole. "We're going to get them in it!"

The three women put their heads together and began devising something while trying desperately to fend off the enemy, and eventually fired construct duplicates of themselves towards the black hole while putting out their own lights. The plan was a big success, and the Jem'Hadar ships were sucked into the black hole...all except one escape pod.

"Why?" asked Ferris. "Why not just get rid of that one too?"

"We're bringing this back as evidence." replied Uhura.

"So, _Starfleet_ , can I take one of the occupants back to the Star Empire?" asked Shiarrael. "Consider this a deal. I need evidence too."

"My name's Nyota Uhura, not hevam or Starfleet." said Uhura. "And whatever, just leave us _our_ evidence. Deal?"

"Deal." replied Shiarrael, and she was given one of the captured enemies while the rest were hauled off to Yorktown. As the two Star Sapphires watched their new frienemy take off into the horizon, they had the strange feeling that this wouldn't be the last they would see of that orange Romulan. After all, she behaved a bit differently from the average Orange Lantern, didn't she?

_LATER..._

"They called themselves, soldiers of the Dominion." said Uhura. "That could only mean one thing—somewhere out there, there's a horde of those things."

"Wherever they're from, we're sending them to Starfleet Headquarters to be judged." said Commodore Paris.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Kirk. "First Khan, and now this...When will trouble stop coming?"

"John, Guy and Kilowog are off to rescue Saint Walker right now." said Hal. "We know what he's capable of, so..."

But before Hal could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a sudden yell. "Holy unanticipated occurrences!" cried Sulu. "Is that the Narada?"

Indeed, it was, but she now had a Sinestro Corps symbol emblazoned on the front and she was flanked by thousands of Yellow Lanterns. Just where did she come from?

Meanwhile, two objects had managed to break into Yorktown's maximum security prison. They were yellow rings, and soon enough, they landed on two worthy hands.

_Tirrok Goradh of Kronos, you have the ability to instill great fear._

_Shenara Goradh of Kronos, you have the ability to instill great fear._

"I knew he'd be back for us!" Shenara exclaimed in delight.

"Indeed." replied Tirrok. "And he now gives us his glorious, glorious gifts...Come, my daughter. Let us greet our liege."

_Welcome to the Yellow Lantern Corps._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the lack of Khan in this chapter—he's the protagonist, after all but I wanted this chapter to be all about the women and don't worry, you'll have your fill of him after this one.


	6. Bat Out Of Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chappie, we get some Dawnbreaker action and the not-really-long-awaited Sinhal reunion. But first, Hal must go through a certain pointy-eared hobgoblin to get to his dear Sinestro who also happens to have pointy ears, by the way...
> 
> Klingon Translation:  
> quvHa'pa' Hegh="death before dishonor"
> 
> Chapter Shest'!

Thaal Sinestro sat on the Narada's captain's chair flanked by Anti-Matter Kirk and Anti-Matter Spock, observing what looked like an Earth snow globe but in space. Returning to the plus-matter universe felt like a warm welcome home, always. But it also felt new, since this was a complete new world. A new world that harbored adversaries both old and new, and above all things, his precious Jordan. During his time as the Klingon Emperor, he had heard stories of Kahless The Unforgettable, the legendary first ruler of the empire. Among those tales were a story about how the greatest romance in Klingon history began. A thousand years ago, at the dawn of the Empire, five hundred warriors stormed the Great Hall at Qam-Chee. The city garrison fled before them. Only the Emperor Kahless and the Lady Lukara stood their ground. Together, they fought through the night and one by one the attacking warriors fell. Finally, after many hours, and with the Great Hall ankle-deep in blood, they emerged victorious, and made passionate love.

That story recalled Sinestro of his days as a Green Lantern, when he and Jordan were still on good terms. One day, they had to pull in every ounce of their willpower to win a fight that seemed unwinnable, and guess what? They had won! If Sinestro was Kahless, then Jordan was, unmistakably, his Lukara. Here and now, he would make an attempt to win his love back, and finally accomplish the unification of willpower and fear.

"Lantern Rulla?" he ordered one of his men, "Hail them."

"Yes, sir!" replied the alien woman, and put on a viewscreen.

"This is Commodore Paris, superintendent of Starbase Yorktown." spoke an aged human woman. "What brings you here, _intruder_?"

Sinestro smirked. "This is Thaal Sinestro of Korugar. Just let me see Hal Jordan, and I will leave the rest of you in peace."

"Never!" replied Commodore Paris. "Earlier, some Klingons claiming to be your loyal subjects came here, after the life of Lantern Jordan and they have been beaten back by Captain Kirk. We now have them in custody, there's no way in hell I would let you near him."

That made Sinestro frown. He would first summon those Klingons by giving them yellow rings, and then...discipline them. How dare they try and kill his loved one? And damn that woman too, how dare she just assume that he had the same malicious intent as those barbarians? "It's not like that!" he snapped. "You see, Jordan and I go waaaay back. When our home universe was still thriving with life—"

But before he could complete his sentence, Commodore Paris was replaced by the cross-looking visage of one James T. Kirk. "Just why are you here?" snapped the captain. And before the Korugarian could answer, he was once again bombarded by questions. "Your lackeys, they look exactly like me and Spock. How'd that happen? And, where'd you get the Narada? She was captained by a mad Romulan named Nero and last time we saw the both of them, they were being sucked into a black hole."

"Patience, Kirk." said Sinestro. "Lantern Kirk and Lantern Spock are you and your first officer, from the Anti-Matter Universe. And, as for the glorious flagship of our corps—" he gestured at Anti-Matter Kirk, "Lantern Kirk here told me that he killed his version of Nero with his bare hands and then took command of the vessel."

"Yeah." said Anti-Matter Kirk, "I did just that. Now, get outta the way, me. Sindy here wants to speak to his boyfriend."

"Please, we come in peace." added Anti-Matter Spock. "I sympathize with Lord Sinestro, he and his lover went through some hard times like me and my Jim did. He now wants to make it up like I did."

Kirk ignored it and instead tilted his head to get a better look at Anti-Matter Spock's face. "You look better without that beard." he said.

Meanwhile, Hal had seen it all from a corner. "Thaal?" he said and was about to step up, but Spock stopped him.

"Mr. Jordan?" said the Vulcan, "I would advise you not to go near Sinestro, he might try and kill you."

"Who cares?" Hal cried. "I love him anyway! After all this time, this might be a chance for us to finally talk it out. Please stop being so paranoid."

"That is illogical." Spock told him. "After everything he's done to you, to _all of_ _us,_ you're still in love with him? I do not understand, you cannot go."

Ferris observed it all from another corner, recalling past events back in the dead universe. Back then, she wasn't exactly a model person—she had tried to break up Hal and Sinestro many times and, as a result, was called many names, like the Evil One, the Weevil Bun, the One Whose Name Shall Not Be Uttered, the Freak, the Center Of Evil In The Universe, the Thing From The Underworld, Satan, the Great Injustice, the Worldwide Enemy Of Da Goodness In Everything or just the WEDGIE for short, the Bad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands, the Damsel Of Darkness, and the Mistress Of Malevolence. But that was mostly because she wanted Hal for herself, not for stupid reasons like that. And she had long stopped being such an idiot, now that she had her darling Monty. Right now, she saw this as a chance to redeem herself for everything she did back in the dead universe. But before she could do anything, an officer hurried over to the little group. "Commodore Paris!" he said, "The Klingons have escaped!"

"Let me handle this!" said Kirk, and got into gear before taking off.

And shortly after, a violent explosion went off in front of the remaining people. Uhura's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my God! Those are the same ships me and Carol fought against!" said the African.

Yes, indeed, those were Jem'Hadar ships and the Narada, along with the Yellow Lanterns, had engaged in battle with the swarm. "What could they possibly be after?" Ferris asked.

But, oh, dear readers, you all might already know the answer, considering what they did to Proselyte in the last chapter, they could only be after one thing: _Parallax._ And, right now, Sinestro was their target since the Korugarian had once again made an obedient pet out of the all-powerful Fear Entity. He should have known this and stayed in the ship which was basically a death trap for any enemy who dared to enter, but right now, he was out in the open, leading his corps at the very front. Sensing the danger, Hal said "Permission to aid the Yellow Lanterns."

"Are you sure?" asked Commodore Paris. "It's too risky, you might get stabbed in the back!"

"Listen to her, Mr. Jordan." Spock added. "It is only logical."

Suddenly, Spock got all tied up in violet ropes and a feminine voice yelled, "To hell with your logic!" It was Ferris. She had decided to step up and redeem herself, and Uhura could already feel the love rolling off her fellow Sapphire. It powered them both, and Ferris said "Hal— _now!_ "

"Miss Ferris, this is unacceptable—" said Spock.

"Look, I'm sorry for all the bad things I did in the past, to both you and Sinestro." said Ferris. "I'll take care of Spock, just go!"

"Alright. Thanks, Carol." said Hal, and in a second, he was back in his Lantern Uniform.

"I'm with you." said Uhura, and the two departed Yorktown to join the yellows. Pretty soon, they were met with the sight of Sinestro perched on the razor's edge of oblivion—the adversaries had used a trick to lure him away from the other yellows. It was now either vanquish or get drained, but thankfully, the Yellow Leader was not an inanimate power battery that would just stand there and let itself be drained. He knew how to fight, and he did it very well. One by one, the Jem'Hadar ships were taken down, they were no match for the fear incarnate and sometimes they would be taken down in clusters.

"Looks like he's holding his own." smirked Uhura. "So, Jordo, you and your boyfriend having that little talk?"

"Of course I am!" replied Hal, and at that moment, his and Sinestro's eyes met. It took them back to all the moments they spent together back in the dead universe. And when they finally snapped out of it, they were both smiling and Hal simply said "I love you, Sin. So much. So I've just got only one question for you:do you love me back?"

As if he was reciting a poem, Sinestro confessed. "To say it's love would be too simple, too obvious. It's more like a calling, a vocation, something I was put in the universe to do. Now I'm shooting with the stars, and I'm flying with the angels, and my heartbeat is a symphony the closer I get to you."

_SINESTRO:_

_I never saw you comin',_

_'Till you came and here you are,_

_I never thought someone,_

_Would ever dare to come this far,_

_You're up for the resistance,_

_And I'm strong in my persistence,_

_And I've never known a remedy like ours,_

_If I can't have you,_

_If I can't have you,_

_I would be a river dried up into dust,_

_I would be imprisoned or ever having loved,_

_If I can't have you,_

_I don't wanna be me!_

_Then I would be the same man,_

_You scraped off the ground,_

_I'd have to go back bein',_

_That broken soul you found,_

_Those days are in the darkness,_

_I buried them with hardness,_

_And I'd have to dig those demons out,_

_Your life is like an anchor,_

_That puts me in my place,_

_No, you won't let me sink,_

_When I'm off losin' my way,_

_Thank God for your virtue,_

_And the wisdom in your eye,_

_Cause somehow you get through on,_

_All that crazy in my mind!_

_If I can't have you,_

_If I can't have you,_

_I would be a river dried up into dust,_

_I would be imprisoned for never having loved,_

_If I can't have you,_

_I don't wanna be me!_

_I don't wanna be me!_

_HAL:_

_Why did it take you so long to inally see,_

_That we had a love that you don't find easily?_

_You broke my heart and the price to pay for that,_

_Is you'll have to live the misery of losing what you had!_

_SINESTRO:_

_If I can't have you...!_

And they proceeded to fend off the oncoming enemy ships, rescuing each other many times.

_SINESTRO:_

_My words have come too late,_

_HAL:_

_I've already turned that page,_

_Don't you look at me that way,_

_'Cause you'll pull me back and that's the part I hate!_

_SINESTRO:_

_I'll stay trapped inside my hell,_

_Where it's so hot that my walls melt,_

_HAL:_

_I can hear a promise,_

_In every lie you said,_

_You'd never tell..._

_SINESTRO:_

_If I had only told the truth,_

_HAL:_

_Oh, I could never trust you to,_

_You'll survive,_

_SINESTRO:_

_No, I will die,_

_BOTH:_

_If I can't have you,_

_If I can't have you,_

_SINESTRO:_

_And I'm sorry for the things I cost you in the end,_

_My punishment is more than any man can stand,_

_I need you in my life!_

_HAL:_

_I can't let go!_

_SINESTRO:_

_Why don't you stay with me tonight?_

_HAL:_

_I feel alone,_

_SINESTRO:_

_Turn off all the lights,_

_HAL:_

_Take me home,_

_BOTH:_

_If I can't have you,_

_If I can't have you,_

_I would be a river dried up into dust,_

_I would be imprisoned for ever having loved,_

_If I can't have you,_

_I don't wanna be me!_

"To say it's love would be too simple..." murmured Sinestro. Their lips inched together as if to kiss but then, they were interrupted by a sudden "Yoo-hoo!", and instantly, Hal's ring was supercharged. Both men along with Uhura turned their heads to see who it was, and saw Guy, John and Kilowog coming back with Saint Walker.

"Heya! Missed me?" cried Guy, then looked at the Jem'Hadar ships and asked "Just what the hell are those things?"

"They're from a place called the Dominion." said Uhura. "I had some of those fellows captive, they spoke in a language I didn't know but thankfully, I had the ring to translate it all and so, I found out they're planning to drain the emotional spectrum so they can have power. C'mon, I'll explain the entire thing later but for now, let's join back with the yellows."

And they went back to where the Yellow Lanterns were still locked in a fierce battle with the Jem'Hadar fleet. Many yellow rings had lost their wearers and were flying off the battlefield to seek new worthy hosts, but the enemy fleet had suffered severe casualties as well. Sinestro, Uhura, Saint Walker and the Green Lanterns were able to deal another big blow to the enemies, and what was left of the swarm scrambled away. The yellows gathered up their fallen comrades to give them a proper burial.

_LATER..._

"And apparently, the Dominion seeks only one thing:to conquer." said Uhura as she finished her explanation. "I believe, in a time like this, we should recruit Khan rather than trying to deal with him as a separate enemy. Besides, his ring's corrupted, I wonder if they can drain _that_."

"I guess you're right!" said Aya. "How clever! But, there's an awful lot of poos in it. Are they something special?"

"Poo is a very strong word in any language." said Uhura. "As a linguist, I just know it."

"Your logic is flawless, Lieutenant Uhura." Spock agreed. "As much as I loathe Khan, I agree that old enemies must join forces in order to stop this new threat."

Uhura then cast a glance at Hal and Sinestro, who were sitting next to each other and Sinestro had an arm wrapped around Hal. "Congratulations, you two, by the way." she said. "Speaking of love, I actually have somebody I wish was my boyfriend."

"Who?" asked Scotty.

"Omal Nexi, the Betazoid Ambassador." said Uhura. "He's the main reason I got my ring, he'd been staying at this starbase for a while and he's leaving for Earth tomorrow. I wish I can see him again." She then sighed.

"Don't worry, lassie." Scotty told her. "If the universe allows, you might just have a chance to meet him."

Suddenly, McCoy said "I wonder what Jimbo is doing right now..."

"What?" asked John. "Where'd he go?"

"He found out that the Klingons escaped, and flew away to deal with them." said Sulu. "He should have been back by now..."

"What?" asked Saint Walker. "Did you just say...he flew away?"

"Yep." said Scotty. "The Cap'n...he's a Green Lantern now."

"Looks like somebody needs a little boost!" Saint Walker quipped. After being told the direction of the maximum security prison by a patrol officer, he soon flew off to find Kirk. And when he finally found him, he was locked in a fierce battle with two Klingons wearing yellow rings, in an area not so far away from the prison. "Captain Kirk?" asked Saint Walker. "You look quite a bit tired."

"Thanks, Saint Walker. Really needed that boost after having to take on two opponents all by myself. I mean, who could have guessed they went all yellow?" said Kirk, feeling his ring being supercharged. And, in a minute, he was able to all tie up the Klingons in green chains. "Now let's get 'em back to prison!" he declared.

"Wait a second, don't you think they should be judged by their _leader?_ " asked the Blue Lantern.

"Whaddaya mean by "leader"?" Kirk asked back, ignoring the Klingons spewing out Klingon curses.

"Sinestro's back." said Saint Walker. "And he's also gotten back together with Jordan. Apparently he was here to redeem himself, I suppose. Here, follow me."

And so Kirk followed Saint Walker back to the lounge where the others were at, with the Klingons in tow. "Oh, Jim! You're back!" said Hal, still snuggled up with his Korugarian lover. He then relayed Uhura's explanation about the Dominion to Kirk, and finished with "She said that we should team up with old enemies to fight them, starting with Khan."

"What?" Kirk said, surprised. He then turned to Uhura and said "What the hell, Nyota? Are you nuts? He killed many innocent men and women! He f*cking killed Chris! And he killed me too, at one point! And right now, he has our crewmen captive! Did you hit your head one time too often?! That ring's messing with you, I've gotta—"

"But it's also thanks to him that you're alive now, isn't it?" Uhura said calmly. "I knew Admiral Pike meant a lot to you. But right now, we have to focus on what's best. Just listen to me this one time, they have technology that can drain all of our rings. But Khan...you do remember what happened when you tried to fight back whatever monsters he made back on Oa? You couldn't. You _failed._ And I believe the Dominion will fail, too. Please, give him a chance."

At those words, Kirk recalled the terror he had to face back on Oa.

_~FLASHBACK~_

"Ring! Get this off me—!" ordered Kirk.

And the ring said, _Construct of unknown composition. Power ring is not operating correctly. Impossible._

"Don't tell me impossible! Just fight back!" Kirk yelled.

_Malfunction, James Tiberius Kirk. There is no light. There is no light..._

The last thing Kirk felt was being enveloped in warm golden light before Khan's monsters could devour him.

_~END FLASHBACK~_

"Okay, fine." said Kirk. "But if your crazy plan doesn't work..."

"I know, I know." nodded Uhura. "Also, what could possibly go wrong? We're just using him."

Meanwhile, Sinestro was talking to the Klingons. "Had you any clue of what you were doing when you first attacked this starbase?" he asked coldly.

"I—I don't understand, Emperor Sinestro." said Tirrok. "We were just trying to get rid of your enemy, we..."

"Silence!" shouted the Yellow Leader, then zapped the Klingons with yet another energy bolt. "That "enemy" you talk about is my one and only love. My _par'Mach'kai_. It is true that we had some rough history, but all that's in the past. Of course, you barbarians will never understand..."

"N...No, sire." sad Tirrok, overwhelmed with fear. "W—we understand."

Shenara, meanwhile, was having conflicted feelings. Once, she herself had a lover of the same gender, in her teenage years—she was one of her father's cadets. Her name was M'Lara and she excelled at everything, and Tirrok held her at very high regards, causing Shenara to feel overshadowed. Jealous that M'Lara had stolen all her father's attention, one night, Shenara called the other girl out to a rocky glade, challenging her to a duel. As they fought, both girls could tell that the other was a very skilled warrior and they felt a rush of adrenaline that changed into something else real quick. The next thing they knew, they had tossed all their weapons and garments aside, and spent the rest of the night simply drowning in each other. Overjoyed at finding satisfaction in this manner, they began a passionate romance and it had continued on until M'Lara was killed in honorable combat. Although the common belief was that Klingons do not cry, Shenara did cry on that day she lost her love. She cast her eyes upward, where she could see Hal Jordan talking to her liege.

"Par'Mach'kai? I like the sound of it." said the Green Lantern.

"It's Klingon." replied Sinestro. "It can be used to refer to one's romantic partner, only with more aggressive overtones."

Shenara now knew what to do. Even though she wasn't entirely accepting of this revelation, she said "May the stars bless you and your par'Mach'kai, Emperor Sinestro. And Sir Jordan, I was such a fool for trying to kill you. I have dishonored the both of you, please kill me. quvHa'pa' Hegh."

Upon hearing this, Tirrok was a little surprised as well as proud; he had always known his daughter would choose death over dishonor, but since both their liege and his enemy/par'Mach'kai were not Klingon, he couldn't help but wonder the outcome.

To both warriors' surprise, it was Hal who spoke up. "Hey, let's forgive them."

"But—" Sinestro began.

"Oh, come on! One of them already apologized, and besides, they didn't really "dishonor" us, they just made some mistakes." said Hal. "Pleeeeease?"

And it was common knowledge that Sinestro was unable to say no to Hal when he begged. "F-ine." he said. "Lanterns Tirrok and Shenara, you have indeed made a big mistake, but since my par'Mach'kai insists that you have not dishonored us, I have decided to forgive you."

"Thank you, my lord." said Shenara as she and her father both bowed their heads.

Just then, an officer came rushing into the lounge. "Captain Kirk!" she said. "The Enterprise...she's all fine and dandy now, you can take her to wherever you want."

"Alright." said Kirk. "Aya...you said you figured out the location of the Red Death, right?"

"Precisely." said Aya. "Now, let's get going, shall we?"

Hearing this, Sinestro said "The Red Death? Is that what we call that stranger now?"

"Actually, his name is Khan, but..." Kirk began.

"Say no more." Sinestro finished. "Mind if I bring the Narada and my corps on this mission? It might take more than just five green rings, two violet rings and a single blue ring to deal with the Red Death. I wish to prove that I now stand before you as an ally, not an enemy."

Kirk smirked. "You got it."

* * *

On Ysmault, the Red Lanterns were having problems of their own. The Dominion had sent a Jem'Hadar swarm to drain power from the Red Rage Entity, Butcher. Of course, the reds, having just gotten the rings, had no idea what the whole ordeal was about and were getting their light wasted.

After she had her last construct sucked into a Jem'Hadar soldier's siphoning device, the feisty Suzette said "Go stick this!" before vomiting napalm blood on the soldier that had drained her. Around her, the 71 other reds were having a hard time since they were heavily outnumbered. But even in the face of darkness, a light can still shine.

And that was totally intentional, since the brightest of the new Red Lantern Corps was also the only damaged Lantern. He was known as Khan Noonien Singh, or, as he himself preferred it, the Dawnbreaker. "Whoa! This is wild!" he said, looking at the Jem'Hadar troops that had landed on the surface of the planet. "There's a whole lot of you! But...ring?"

_Initiating blackout._

Immediately, Khan's overcharged ring unleashed a great number of nightmarish constructs, saving the other 72 and slaughtering the enemies. The Jem'Hadar soldiers tried desperately to drain him, but, of course, their siphoning devices were useless against the dark constructs. After the ground was cleared, the Red Leader turned his eyes to up above, where there were still a buncha enemy ships remaining. Of course, that was taken care of in three seconds and when the darkness finally lifted, the Enterprise was now visible before their very eyes, along with a gargantuan starship that they were unfamiliar with. Soon, several people beamed down, including the five Green Lanterns and there was also a number of people Khan wasn't familiar with.

"Excuse me," the green woman began, "Did some peculiar-looking ships invade this planet?"

"Hey, you!" Joaquin yelled, "Watch your mouth! Do you know who you're talking to? He's the Dark Star himself, the Dawnbreaker!"

"It is fine, Joaquin." Khan said as he dismissed him. "What brings you here, Enterprise? And, yes, we did face some enemies shortly before your arrival. They were after our light, but we vanquished them."

"Sir," said Malik, "still, you did most of the work."

"Uh-uh! Don't interrupt me, Malik!" Khan said. "Now, where were we?"

"If they were after your light, then they must be the same ones we're dealing with." said Uhura. "They're soldiers from a place called the Dominion, your ring's corrupted, they can't drain you! Please, lend us a hand."

"Then what will you give me in return?" Khan asked.

"Anything you want." replied the African.

"Anything..." Khan repeated, and sent a death-glare Spock's way. "Anything, you say?"

"Anything." Uhura confirmed.

"But before that, we must know what you did with the crewmembers you took." Kirk said, as he joined in.

"Oh, them?" Khan's wings shifted, and he smirked before making a buncha arrow constructs to point at the blood lake. "Don't worry, they were put to good use."

Upon hearing this, Sulu's face got distorted in anger. "You killed Pavel!" he roared and lunged at the Augment, but simply got flung away.

"So you do know what it feels to lose someone you cherished deeply..." Khan's expression shifted to a neutral one, and the arrow constructs turned to point at Spock.

"I—I do not understand." said Spock. "Your crew is alive, they're right by your side, so..."

"No. Not my crew. I was talking about my Vengeance!" Khan snapped. "He was my one true love, like how Grand Admiral Thrawn was to Lei-yeh-nar Oh."

That surprised everyone. "First, it's _Leyenar_ Oh, and second, how'd you know that? For all I know, you were frozed _before_ she was born." said Kirk.

"I figured it out, just like how I figured out how to do blood magic." replied Khan. "So, will you let me have vengeance for my Vengeance?" The arrows were still pointing at Spock.

"You lay a hand on Spock and I'll decapitate you!" said Kirk as he made a construct chainsaw.

"Oh, really?" Khan smirked. "I wonder if you can do as much as scratch me. Besides, your Lieutenant Uhura promised me anything I want in exchange for my help, so I will have vengeance."

Kirk turned to Uhura. "I hate to sound like Bones but dammit, Nyota, why did you have to say that?"

Uhura shrugged.

"Alright. Y'know what? Fine. I guess I'll have to do the next right thing. Spock, right here, you apologize to my Vengeance. Beg him to forgive you."

"Never!" said Spock. "You are a convicted criminal, I won't take orders from you. Besides, why should I apologize to a piece of machinery?"

"Then die." Khan growled.

That left Spock conflicted. Dying meant never being able to see his captain, his t'hy'la, again. Oh, how he adored every logical and illogical second with Kirk. He felt pained that, if he didn't beg the Vengeance to forgive him, he wouldn't get to see Kirk again. Wouldn't get to see those beautiful blue eyes again. Eyes that reminded him of the most crystal clear Earth oceans. Eyes that always sparkled as he laughed. If he refused, he wouldn't get to brush his fingers through his captain's soft golden hair, which he always wanted to do. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry, Mr. Vengeance." he spat.

"Forgive me, USS Vengeance Dreadnought Class, No Registry, for causing your demise." Khan corrected.

"Forgive me, USS Vengeance Dreadnought Class, No Registry, for causing your demise." Spock repeated, albeit quietly. He didn't want to embarrass himself by apologizing to a friggin' starship. In public.

"He can't hear you!" roared the Dawnbreaker, as he made a life-sized construct of the Vengeance.

"Forgive me, USS Vengeance Dreadnought Class, No Registry, for causing your demise!" Spock yelled out loud.

Khan smirked. "Heh. That's more like it."

"Alright, Khan, now let's take you to the Enterprise." said Uhura.

"Hang on." said Suzette. "Where he goes, we all follow."

"No." Khan told her. "You stay behind and protect the Central Power Battery, this is an order. I will be back when it is all done, I swear."

"Yes, sir." said Malik.

Knowing that they had their ultimate weapon, Kirk commed Sinestro. "Enterprise to Narada. We have secured the Red Death."

"Well done, Enterprise." Sinestro's voice came from Kirk's ring.

_LATER..._

The trip to Earth was quiet, and the first place the crew headed to was Starfleet Headquarters where they were reunited with loved ones.

"James T.! Montgomery Scotty!" Jaylah cried as she tackled Kirk and Scotty to the ground.

"Leonard!" cried Carol as she threw her arms around McCoy's neck. "It's so good to have you back! By the way, does this indigo uniform make me look fat?"

"No, darling. Absolutely not. In fact, I've worn that myself one time." chuckled the doctor.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up." said Kirk. "Bones, are you and Miss Marcus...?"

"Are ya kiddin' me? Of course we are!" said McCoy. "She saved my life when we were alone on that planet with that torpedo, it was then I fell for her."

Kirk smiled. He quickly ushered the others out of the ship, and began a frenzied introduction of everybody to everybody. We'll never know if it was because of the first name or something else, but nevertheless, Carol and Ferris quickly clicked. Hal and his friends as Green Lanterns were surprised as they saw Indigo-1 with Carol and Jaylah, and was glad to see her alive while Sinestro and Saint Walker remained neutral.

Meanwhile, Jaylah, having been left out of the group, was still peering into the ship when she met eyes with a mysterious man who was being escorted by several security officers. The man had jet black hair and icy blue eyes, and was wearing a dark red suit of armor with metallic twisted wings on the back. As they kept staring at each other, Jaylah made a mental note to ask James T. who that man was and quickly hurried back to join the others in their love-fest.

Some time later, the Admiralty was discussing the potential threat of the Dominion as some of the admirals suggested joining forces with the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire. The good thing was, they had time to prepare and the crew knew that. Kirk would alert the Guardians and recruit more Green Lanterns while Ferris would take Uhura to Zamaron and rebuild the Star Sapphire Corps. Starfleet was already making process as well, a new Dreadnought-class warship called the Interceptor was in the works to combat new potential threats and Aya was offered a position on that one as the central computer, but she refused because, apparently, she was in love with the Enterprise. During all this, Jaylah was feeling left out. Nevertheless, she would still do her best to aid her friends in the up and coming war.

Deciding to take some time to herself, the alien woman was taking a stroll out in a field just outside Starfleet Headquarters when she met that man from earlier. He was not wearing his armor, only a black shirt with matching black pants but he still had the red ring she'd seen him wearing. "Um...ollo?" she tried.

He ignored her and kept on walking.

Offended, Jaylah cried "Hey!" She then kicked him hard in the back.

That did seem to draw a bit of his attention to her, and he wheeled around. "You...dare!" he growled.

"You're the one who ignored me!" she retaliated, not showing a single trace of fear. Fear had been obliterated from her, since she had learned to be brave during her time on Altamid.

Intrigued by her attitude, the man made a fighting stance. "So this, huh? Very well, show me what you're made of!"

"Alright. You wanna go? You want some argy-bargy? OK, here I come!" declared Jaylah, and threw a punch. The man dodged, and punched her back. Starting with that, the two exchanged punches and kicks. As they fought, their angry expressions slowly morphed into smiles. They had recognized each other as a worthy opponent. The fight lasted for half an hour, then they got exhausted and fell down on the grass. "Whoo!" said Jaylah. "That was the best brawl I've had in my entire life! By the way, why didn't you use your ring?"

The man chuckled. "Trust me, my ring would have been too much for you to handle. I was only trying to give you a fair fight."

Jaylah laughed. "Oh, dear. So, what's your name?"

After hesitating for a moment, the man spoke. "Khan Noonien Singh, if you please. But in fact, I prefer Dawnbreaker."

"Whutever, _Khan Noonien._ " said Jaylah. "I'm Jaylah. Nice to beat ya!"

"Wait, did you say "meet" or "beat"?" asked Khan.

"Ah, potato, tomato, po-tah-to, to-mah-to. Now, let's get going, the others would be waiting for us." Jaylah told him.

"You, a lot. Me, not very much." said Khan.

"Why?" asked Jaylah.

"Because to them, I'm just a weapon. They just need me for war purposes, just like Admiral Marcus did. After taking everything from me..." While saying that, Khan's expression shifted to one of anger.

"Carol told me the story." said Jaylah. "By the way, whaddaya mean by everything?"

"My Vengeance." Khan told her. "My love, my precious child, my sin, my soul, the great ship of my own design..."

"Oh, that one? It's gone. Spocky took care of it. He really double-crossed you, it was sooooo funny that I couldn't help but laugh..." Jaylah giggled.

"He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him. I'll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition's flames before I give him up!" Khan suddenly declared out loud. "After everything is done, I will have vengeance for my Vengeance!"

"May I ask what's so important about a ship?" asked Jaylah. "You seem to be veeeery fond of that Vengeance thingy."

" _He_ was the best thing that happened to me." Khan said. "Even the blueprints indicated that he was different. A real warrior. And when I finished him, I couldn't help but fall in love. All the wonders that I had 300 years ago could not compete with the sheer glory and defiance of the USS Vengeance, but Starfleet, specially _Spock,_ had to waltz in and take him from me. Even now, I see him. Right before my very eyes. If things were better, then we'd be together right now, and I wouldn't have this ring."

Jaylah felt sorry for the Dawnbreaker. "Poor you." she said. "If I could, I would make things better for you right now."

"I appreciate your efforts, Jaylah, but I'm afraid it's too late. But I would like it if you would spare a few more minutes with me...?" asked Khan.

"Sure! Why not?" said Jaylah. And so they took more time strolling, this time together. During their walk, they came across a swirly-shaped tree. "This tree is known as the Tree Of Wonders." she told her companion.

"The Tree Of Wonders?" Khan asked in confusion.

"It's named that because it's the oldest tree that lived, and it's home to the beautiful fireflies that come at night every so often. Few people had seen it at night with its amazing lights that make the field and the tree so beautiful," said Jaylah. "Now, we should REALLY go back, everybody would be worried sick."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene where Khan forces Spock to beg for the Vengeance's forgiveness is inspired by a scene in the 34th issue of Green Lantern Corps Volume 2, where Green Lantern Sodam Yat got mad-mad and made his xenophobic mother say "Thank you, Tessog, for saving my miserable life!" in exchange for him aiding his xenophobic home planet Daxam. That really gave me catharsis, since it looked like that was the closest Sodam could get to avenging his alien friend Tessog.


	7. One...Two...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O-o-h, here come the DRAMAAAAAAAAAAAA! This chapter is about to deliver a veeeery important message, and did I mention THIS? It's ti-I-ime for Sinestro to teach our favorite hobgoblin that, in the grand scope of things, his logic is useless!
> 
> Have fun, Big Yellow!
> 
> Chapter Siem!

_An Unspecified Amount Of Time Ago_

It was a nice day in the S'chn T'gai family home. Amanda Grayson, a human on Vulcan, was singing her favorite tune. _"I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning, and gladly ride the waves of life, if you would marry me..."_

"Mother?" asked a young Spock. "What's that song called?"

Amanda noticed tiny hands tugging at her dress, and turned to pick her son up. "Oh, it's called "The Dancing & The Dreaming". Back in the 21st Century, the movie director Leyenar Oh sang it to propose to the love of her life, Grand Admiral Thrawn."

Little Spock understood, the Leyenar-Thrawn story was famous on Earth, almost as epic as the Klingons' Kahless-Lukara story. But as one that had grown on Vulcan, he didn't know the exact details. "I wanna hear about them! Tell me, Mother..."

Amanda smiled, put her son down, sat next to him and began singing.

_AMANDA:_

_Long ago, an ancient story,_

_Brilliant and cunning Thrawn,_

_And a nerdy girl named Leyenar,_

_Were in love..._

_ LITTLE SPOCK: _

_True love?_

_AMANDA:_

_True love!_

_But one day he got in trouble,_

_And got lost in outer space,_

_And she couldn't,_

_Save her one true love,_

_Now she waits for him,_

_In the stars beyond._

"Why?" asked little Spock.

"Because the fourth wall was between them." Amanda explained. "And Leyenar was unable to break it, so she decided to do the next right thing. And that was to ensure Thrawn's safety. She even campaigned for the Star Wars staff to bring him to Earth!"

Little Spock frowned. "That's illogical, Mother. How can she possibly love somebody who's not real?"

Amanda laughed. "Oh, my darling, you might think like that right now, but someday, you'll get to understand her."

_AMANDA:_

_Longing, hoping for her one true love,_

_Still she waits for him,_

_In the stars beyond._

_LITTLE SPOCK:_

_Forever?_

_AMANDA:_

_Forever..._

* * *

_Now_

And although time had passed, Spock still failed to understand Leyenar, and deemed anything weird "illogical", such as people being in love with starships. Such things were abominations in his eye. Right now, all he cared about was what happened on Ysmault, and he would pay that back in the worst possible way. Khan would be humiliated no end, and eventually walk out in shame knowing that he was inferior to Spock in every way. For this whole operation, he had managed to get Sulu and a few ensigns to aid him and right now, they were in a small farm somewhere in California, where pigs were being raised.

_ SPOCK: _

_I believe in getting even,_

_That's what I believe,_

_But I just don't forgive and forget!_

_I don't take no attitude,_

_When I know I've been screwed,_

_Khan Noonien Singh's got a lot to regret!_

"Gosh, look at all those pigs!" said an ensign.

_SPOCK:_

_Sweet revenge require planning,_

_I've done all I can,_

_Now it's your chance to prove you're a stud,_

_It's a simple little gig, you help me kill a pig,_

_And then I've got some plans for the blood!_

_ENSIGNS CHANTING:_

_Kill the pig, pig, pig, pig,_

_Kill him, kill him, kill him and make him bleed,_

_Get the blood, blood, blood, blood,_

_Kill the pig, make him bleed,_

_Take the blood, that's all we need!_

_Out for blood,_

_Oh yeah, kill the pig, make him bleed,_

_Get the blood, that's all we need,_

_Out for blood,_

_Now, now, now, now, now, now!_

_SULU:_

_What do I, what do I, what do I care?_

_Too damn long, I've let you push me to the wall,_

_If you want what I can offer now,_

_You're gonna have to crawl._

_We'll do it my way, when I play,_

_You've got your plan perfected,_

_But what about the unexpected?_

_You never know what you're gonna find,_

_When you look into the dark and dirty,_

_Corners of your mind,_

_You like what you see?_

_Ha, not me,_

_The way you're hurting now,_

_It's easy to tell,_

_You're going straight to hell,_

_Straight to hell!_

"Think of Mr. Chekov!" Spock whispered in the terrified Asian's ear.

_ENSIGNS CHANTING:_

_Kill the pig, Sulu,_

_Kill the pig now!_

_Kill the pig, Sulu,_

_Kill the pig now!_

_SPOCK:_

_There's a storm inside my brain,_

_A raging hurricane,_

_But I bet you could handle the flood,_

_You know me, there's hell to pay,_

_If I don't get my way,_

_And I'm not out for kicks,_

_I'm out for blood!_

_ENSIGNS CHANTING:_

_Blood, blood, blood, blood, blood,_

_SULU:_

_Oh, you want it now, you want it so bad,_

_So damn bad, you'll go stabbing in the dark,_

_But the smell of blood'll drive you crazy,_

_Hungry like a shark,_

_You want a real scare, a nightmare,_

_You can't stop your whining,_

_You'll get what you've been wishing,_

_You think you might be dreaming,_

_But wait until you wake up screaming!_

_ENSIGNS:_

_You've got to strike when the iron's hot,_

_Now you've finally got him begging,_

_Sulu, give him all you've got,_

_He wants to play it rough,_

_Ha, so get tough,_

_You've got to let him think he's having his way,_

_And then you make him pay,_

_Make him pay!_

Sulu jumped into the pig trough and plunged his knife into one of the pigs. It struggled for a moment until it let out one final squeal and finally died. Spock and the ensigns got a bucket and collected the pig's blood.

_LATER..._

It was night when Khan and Jaylah returned to Starfleet Headquarters. Everybody were waiting for them in an empty assembly hall. "Uh...Ahem." Kirk cleared his throat. "So, we made a decision. After a lot of thinking, we've decided to hold this meeting to show the...um...the most meaningful and valued member of this team the respect he deserves."

"Whose idea was this?" asked Jaylah.

"It was Spock's." replied Kirk. "He said, when he apologized on Ysmault, he meant it. And he now feels sorry, so he set up this whole thing. So, Khan, will you please accept the gift we've prepared?" said the captain as he ushered the Augment to the center of their little circle. The Dawnbreaker couldn't help but feel suspicious, there was no way that Vulcan could have just changed his attitude.

"Vulcans do not lie." Spock told him. "This time, I guarantee it. Miss Aya, will you..."

"Yes, commander!" said Aya as she came in with an Indian maharajah's crown. Just as the robot placed it on the Red Lantern's head, Jaylah noticed Hikaru Sulu hiding in the rafters just above the ceiling, and he was holding a rope that connected to a bucket perched just above where Khan was standing.

"Mr. Sulu—now!" Spock signaled him, and the lieutenant pulled the rope, causing the bucket to fall down.

_"KHAN NOONIEN, LOOK OUT!"_

But Jaylah had been a tad too late. A waterfall of red liquid fell onto Khan's head. It made loud splashing sounds as it stained his clothes. "This is for making me apologize!" Spock declared.

"And for killing my boyfriend!" Sulu added as he came down from his hiding place in the ceiling.

The person that was surprised most by this whole deal was Kirk. "What the hell, Spock? What is the meaning of this? You told me that you were actually, really, sorry! I thought Vulcans don't lie..."

No, it was not supposed to be like this. He had done the right thing, they were supposed to laugh at Khan, not criticize Spock! But he wasn't the only one facing problems, Sulu had problems of his own—right now, Uhura was saying "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. Don't you have a husband and a child? Besides, I thought you and Pavel were best friends!"

"Nyota, please! I can explain..." Sulu pleaded desperately.

Sinestro watched the whole thing from a corner, and told Sulu "Back on Korugar, we used to take adultery very seriously." That made Hal blush, for that had reminded him of all the times he had to walk a fine line between Sinestro and Ferris.

Spock could do nothing as he and his partner-in-crime had all the blame thrown at them. He couldn't believe this was happening. But the most furious out of them all, was Khan. The Dawnbreaker gave Spock that same death-glare he'd made on Ysmault, and Saint Walker was struggling to calm him down. "For the love of Pete, Spock, this is just straight-up mean!" Guy cried.

"What the hell have you done?" Carol screamed.

"Are you out of your Vulcan mind?" McCoy said.

"Da fact that he's got beef with us dinnae mean you can just dump blood on him like that!" Scotty yelled.

"Spock, right now, you made the biggest error in your lifetime yet." Kirk sternly told him.

Hearing those words from none other than his t'hy'la hurt more than anyone could imagine, but Spock had to explain. "He deserved it! He made me beg for an inanimate object's forgiveness and—"

"For crying out loud, Spocky, he loved that ship!" Jaylah shouted, and the hall fell silent. "He loved that ship to death and you took it away! And now, you go ahead and pull a prank on him, when he's still grieving for his loved one! You think this is logical?! You...you _green-blooded hobgoblin_ , your sincerity and compassion is that of a tank full of killer sharks! All Khan Noonien wanted was to be together with his ship and his crew, and you just had to waltz in and take that from him! You only care about what you deem logical, when you should be thinking about other people's feelings! That's what's keeping you and James T. from becoming life mates, ever!"

"Silence!" Spock snapped.

"Justice!" Jaylah retaliated.

Spock was offended at Jaylah's words, he made a mental note to expel her from Starfleet Academy once the war with the Dominion was over. On the other hand, seeing Jaylah speak up for him calmed Khan down. The entire room was silent, taking in the woman's words while Kirk looked stunned, since it looked like she had just revealed his deep-secret feelings for the Vulcan. There was stunned silence all over the room as Jaylah walked over to Khan, took the crown off his head and threw it on the floor. She then said "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up." and took him away.

Spock looked around and saw everyone looking at him, accusing him, like he hadn't done the right thing.

This is all wrong. Spock will...

"The Red Death...no, the _Dawnbreaker._ He told me everything. Gosh, I can't believe Starfleet let an uncaring ice cube like you into their ranks, you should really learn to love." said Sinestro.

"This is your fault, you did this!" roared the Vulcan, and threw a punch at the Yellow Lantern only for his fist to get caught in the middle.

"So we are doing this? Fine then, I wanted to." Sinestro said calmly, and blasted him into the bleachers.

The man clearly wanted more, because he charged again.

Spock tried punching Sinestro, but the Korugarian's warrior's instincts he had developed as a supervillain allowed him to dodge easily.

"Too slow, man. Pick it up."

"Shut up!" Spock yelled and charged again, but Sinestro just used a construct to pick him up and throw him into a wall.

"I fought Hal Jordan so many times. You are nothing."

"You think...that you are a hero? If so, then why did you fight your own lover? I always knew you were bad for Mr. Jordan. You don't deserve him, you should stay away from him! You are pathetic, you are the wicked one!"

Thaal froze.

The memories of fighting Hal, of his mistakes. They had come back with a vengeance.

"And the wicked shall not go unpunished!"

The words hurt him. Is he a hero? He would say no.

He doesn't feel like one.

But what he said about him and Hal...

"You're not saying anything..." Spock said. "So, do you accept your defeat?"

_ZAP!_

Thaal sent Spock flying with a powerful energy beam.

"You. Know. Nothing. About. ME!" he practically roared as everyone watched on in shock and horror.

"Oh, no." murmured Hal. "This is bad."

Thaal was beyond pissed.

He felt his control slipping away as he unleashed the full power of Parallax on the poor Vulcan.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO I AM!"

Spock tried to defend himself, but it was useless.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I HAVE BEEN THROUGH!"

In an instant, Spock became a bloody mess, his green blood mixing with the pig's blood he had used for the prank. Yellow constructs rained fire on him, lighting him up from all directions.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I HAVE DONE!"

"Nnngh..." Spock groaned as he tried to move.

"I am no hero. I know that. I did terrible things. But guess what, so did you! But unlike you, I am not trying to cover my mistakes, my errors. I caused my own problems! I drove my friends away! And yeah, it's my fault!" Thaal declared. "But I am getting better, I am trying to be a good friend, I am trying to be a better person! And if there is one thing I will never doubt, it is my love for Jordan. I love him to death, and it's not fake! I love him truly and you won't doubt that from me! Unlike you, I know what love is. It is the most powerful emotion in the whole entire universe. It is not something for you to destroy in the name of your logic. Love plays a huge role in making hard decisions, for example, it helped me give up villainy. That is love, Spock. AND I LOVE JORDAN!"

With that, the fear warlord landed a final blow on his opponent.

"Spock!" cried Kirk, and rushed over to his loved one's side as the dust settled.

"You'll never know the things that love can drive a man to. The ecstasies, the miseries, the broken rules, the desperate chances, the glorious failures, the glorious victories. All of these things you'll never know, simply because the word love isn't written into your book." Thaal told Spock as he landed next to the two. The assembly hall was now a mess and the ceiling had been blown off, showcasing the starry night sky.

"N...no." Spock groaned out, and reached out a hand to touch his captain's face. "Jim...taluhk nash-veh k'dular." he said, then went limp.

"Ring. Translate." ordered Kirk. He was suspecting his crush had just said something important, and he wanted to know that.

 _I cherish thee,_ the ring translated Spock's Vuhlkansu for Kirk.

Upon hearing this, the captain felt relieved that the man he loved returned his feelings, but was also angry that the very same man had been beaten to supposed death. He glared at Sinestro and said "He was right. We should never have trusted you."

"Sin, you..." said Hal, eyes blown wide.

"I'm so sorry, Hal." said Sinestro. "I just..."

"No, I'm fine." Hal told him. "I...I just gotta have a little alone time, OK?" He then left the assembly hall, and after a good 10 minutes, Sinestro left as well.

Meanwhile, Jaylah had just finished washing her bloodied hands and getting some clean clothes for Khan, a uniform-like black shirt with red highlights and matching black pants. She decided to check on said Red Lantern, to see if he had finished cleaning—she had snuck him into her dorm room so he could use the shower. What she didn't expect to see, was a sight no one had seen before. Khan's entire body was covered in red tattoos, and carved into his back was an almost artistically crafted image of what Jaylah presumed was the USS Vengeance, the Red Lantern insignia overlapping the saucer section. But she didn't have time to marvel over that, she carefully handed him his clothes while trying her best to avert her eyes.

Once the Dawnbreaker had finished getting dressed, he asked "What did you find so interesting about me?"

She took one of his hands, and traced one of the lines on his back hand with her finger. "These." she told him. "Where'd you get these?"

"I put them there, myself." he replied. "Used the sacred blood as ink. They're meant to serve as reminders of what purpose I serve now. You see, the person who wielded this ring before me had all his memories as well as the Red Lantern Corps mandate stored in it, and it says that Red Lanterns are made to be instruments of justice. Even now, even after I cracked the ring open, those records still remain."

"And what you seek is justice for your ship, I presume?" asked Jaylah.

"Precisely." said Khan.

"I once had that same experience, myself. You see, waaaay before all this magic ring stuff, there was this guy named Krall. He had me and my family prisoner, and my father sacrificed himself only so I could be free. I was but a little girl at that point of time, and the only thing that had kept me going all these years was my burning thirst for revenge. But thanks to the Enterprisers, I could finally avenge my family. I see you want to avenge your ship, as well." Jaylah softly spoke.

"I most certainly do!" Khan said. "Can you imagine the grief when you create something and someone just destroys it? I now know that even in the 23rd Century, some things are still frowned upon and I learned that the hard way. Even in this brave new world, there is no place for people like me and...and it hurts. It hurts so much." He then buried his face into Jaylah's chest and began crying.

"Oh, no, don't cry, don't cry..." Jaylah said as she tried her best to comfort him.

* * *

Back outside, Sulu wasn't having the smoothest ride. Word had gotten out, and Kirk had said that the Enterprise was keeping him as her helmsman for the war, but right now, all the crewmembers had turned their backs on him. He just hoped Ben and Demora wouldn't know, but then, he would get punished harder for lying to them. What could he do? He loved his husband and daughter, for sure, but he loved Pavel too. He felt like Anna Karenina—would the whole thing end in him killing himself, like Anna did? If that happened, then at least he'd see his Pavel again. He also had no idea what to feel about Spock. Sure, what Sinestro did wasn't exactly a good job, but Spock had dragged an unwilling Sulu into the whole man trap thing, using his position and the fact that Pavel Chekov was among the people Khan killed as leverage and that was a fact that he wouldn't deny. And, truth be told, Spock had been equally surprised that Sulu had been cheating on Ben with Chekov, after all those years of thinking they were just friends.

Speaking of Spock, how was he doing right now? That was the exact question Kirk asked Bones.

"Oh, he's alright. In a coma, but not dead! Saint Walker's seeing to him right now." McCoy had said.

"Seriously, he's the first person I saw to survive the full force of an emotional entity bearing down on him. It's a miracle that he's still alive." John added.

Within sickbay, the Blue Lantern was trying his best to heal Spock. Aya was there with him, since the green energy that coursed through her was more than enough to make a blue ring function properly.

Suddenly, the both of them saw a brilliant flash of white light. It hovered over Spock's biobed for quite some time before finding its resting place on his finger.

_S'chn T'gai Spock of Vulcan, destiny awaits._

But once it came on, it said _Host unsuitable._ and immediately came back off and flew away. The only plus side of the whole ordeal was, Spock was now healed. Aya immediately sent a message to the rest of the Enterprise crew.

* * *

Just outside San Francisco, a woman with black hair was lying unconscious. Her mother's last wish had catapulted her out of her home universe and into this one. But right now, she was dying. She needed help.

And help came, in the form of a little white ring.

_Diana of Earth, destiny awaits._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so here's the moral of this chapter:DON'T MESS WITH KHAN, or suffer the consequences 'cause they always find you, one way or another. (diabolical laughter)
> 
> That aside, WONDER WOMAN IS HEEEEEERE! I'm planning to have her meet everyone in Chapter 11.


	8. A Coronation Invaded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the venting is finished, it's time for stuff to get real. Also, the Tree Of Wonders is a prominent location in most of my Trek fics, and I figured Sinhal deserved at least one scene at it, since they're the main romantic pairing of this story.
> 
> Vuhlkansu Translation:  
> Ashayam=Beloved
> 
> Klingon Translation:  
> toDSaH=Wimp/Wuss
> 
> Chapter Ocho!

The night went on, and Thaal was sadly alone at the Tree of Wonders as he sobbed out, "I love you, Hal! I really do, but I don't wanna cause you anymore pain and suffering! I want to be with you, but now it's too late! I'm so sorry, Hal! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, Hal! I love you, too!"

Soon, McCoy and the rest of the crew approached Thaal as he sniffed, "What are you doing here?"

"You're still our friend, Sinestro, and we're not just going to leave you behind like this." Uhura replied as she soon came up to the Korugarian and said, "Now we will be honest that we're rather disappointed in you for what you did to Spock, at that point, you really went over the top."

"I know. I admit I've let my emotions run amok at that point." Thaal sadly agreed with a nod.

"But da fact dat yer feel guilty and wannae make proper amends with Hal makes us forgive you." Scotty pointed out with a comforting smile.

The others nodded, smiling and having forgiveness for Sinestro before Ferris then added, "But if you truly love Hal and want to make up for all of this, then you have to go after him. Give him the best you can offer."

"Jordan doesn't want me anymore. It's better that he'd have someone who is perfect rather than someone who was a liar and who'd selfishly hurt him," Thaal sniffed.

"Mr. Sinestro, listen to me. We're not perfect. No one is. Just because you had a flaw with Mr. Jordan doesn't mean you should give up on each other. You work together to make things right. That is the beauty of a relationship. You work together to create a loving and happy relationship, like how Leonard and I do and Miss Ferris and Mr. Scott do too." Carol explained.

"I...I never thought of it that way," Sinestro said, having a new realization going through his head.

"If you truly love Mr. Jordan, then you have to go after him and work together to make things right for you two, no matter what happens," the blonde encouraged the Korugarian.

"I would but...it'd be too late now. Jordan already hates me." Sinestro sadly concluded.

"I'd never hate you, Sin."

The group suddenly turned to see Hal with Kirk, John, Guy and Kilowog. Thaal looked on in surprise before Hal approached him while the others watched on with hope and suspense.

"Hal...I..." Thaal started.

"Sinestro, I will be honest that you really did hurt me back there." Hal started.

"I know, and I am so very sorry for what I did! I could not bear to lose you and I just wanted to protect you from harm but I should have never done that! I truly regret all the pain I had caused you so much because you're the most wonderful being I have ever met in my entire life! You were always there for me all this time! I love you so much, Hal, and I would do anything to make up for what I've done to you because I was such a moron." Thaal sobbed as he began to cry before holding Hal close.

Hal soon wrapped his arms around Thaal, much to his surprise before he said, "And you are the most brilliant person I have ever met. I will admit that I am a little hurt still, but I look back now and everything that had happened before doesn't matter now. As a wise woman once said, you need to let go of the past to have a future."

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, Hal, and if you would let me, I want to try and make amends with you." Thaal sniffed.

"We can do this together, Thaal. We can forget about the past involving the two of us and live on what matters to us now." Hal said.

"I am so very sorry, Hal. I am so sorry." Sinestro apologized once more.

Hal, with all of his heart and determination to let go of the hurtful past with Sinestro, looked at the pink alien before he replied with, "I forgive you, Thaal."

"You do?" Thaal sobbed.

"Of course I do. It will take time for us to go on from what happened, but I am more than willing to give us another chance if you would let me as I will let you because no matter what, I will always love you, and that's a promise," Hal replied with all of his heart's desire. After all, they were bound together, through the will of the universe, through fate and through Parallax. Yes, the Fear Entity had linked them together at some point back in the dead universe.

"Oh, Hal! Thank you!" Sinestro sobbed happily as they soon looked at each other for a moment before they leaned closer to one another and at long last, their lips crashed together.

The group watched as Ferris and Carol were close to tears of joy before Jaylah happily gasped, "Look! On the tree!"

As the Lanterns continued kissing, fireflies appeared from the tree and started glowing with wonderful lights as Hal and Sinestro parted their lips from each other.

"Look! The fireflies! They are real!" Uhura happily gasped.

"Maybe they're happy for these two." John chuckled.

It was like stars floating down to welcome the two lovers in this beautiful night. Hal drew in a deep breath and began singing.

_Hold Me In Your Heart-James Marsden_

_You don't want to see me anymore,_

_You can't listen to me laugh out loud,_

_You don't wanna see me dance,_

_You can't even take the chance,_

_That it might reflect on you._

_You missed out on the best part of me,_

_The part that made me who I am today,_

_Oh, but the best part of me is standing in front of you,_

_And loves you anyway._

_Hold me in your heart 'till you understand,_

_Hold me in your heart just the way that I am,_

_With all your faults, I love you._

_Don't give up, on me,_

_I won't give up, on you,_

_Well, you took my hand, taught me how to be strong,_

_That's where I picked up, when we went all wrong,_

_I know that I hurt you, and you hurt me too,_

_But you mean more to me, I must mean more to you!_

_Hold me in your heart 'till you understand,_

_Hold me in your heart just the way that I am,_

_With all your faults, I love you,_

_I need you to love me that way too!_

Khan watched the whole scenery from afar, and allowed himself a small smile. The fireflies along with the Lanterns' lights made the area a beautiful spectacle, it almost looked like Heaven's light—unfortunately, his own ring was corrupted and would never again produce a light as brilliant as that. "Oh, who am I kidding?" he chuckled. Though he would wish with all his might, he was never meant for Heaven's light, with his heart painted black.

Suddenly, Jaylah noticed him and called out "Khan Noonien! Whaddaya doing over there? Come over and join us, Highball and Thaal Sin just made up!" And so the Dawnbreaker did. Jaylah was the only person to actually show kindness to him ever since he found himself in the 23rd Century; it would be a great disgrace to turn down her offer. As he stepped into the little circle, the alien woman said "Just don't try and hurt anyone, right?"

"I will." replied Khan. "Also...Sinestro, congratulations on finally finding true love."

"Thank you, Dawnbreaker." said the Yellow Lantern. After everything that had occurred, the two had become quite civil with each other.

"So, everyone's on the same side now, right?" asked Hal.

"Oh, I don't think so." Kirk sneered. He then pointed at Sinestro and said "Why should I ever make amends with _him_? If you do remember what he did to Spock, you'd..."

"Dammit, Jim, it was that hobgoblin who started it." said Bones. "Did you hear what he told him? He said that—"

Suddenly, all their rings pinged and Kirk checked his ring up. "It's from Aya." said the captain. "Thank goodness, Spock's alright."

Everybody headed back to Starfleet Headquarters, and Kirk was more than happy to see his no-longer-crush alive and well. He brought everyone else with him, except Khan and Sinestro, making Hal frown.

"Oh, c'mon, Hal!" Kirk yelled. "Who knows what he'll do next?!"

"But I forgave him." said Hal. "If Thaal isn't going into that room, neither will I. I'm staying with him."

"Okay, fine." said Kirk, and led everyone else into the room. As he entered, he saw his love talking to Aya and Saint Walker. "Spock?" asked Kirk.

"Captain." replied the Vulcan.

"I...I'm glad you're alive. At the assembly hall, you said you cherished me. Did you mean it?" asked Kirk.

"I did." Spock said.

"I...I love you too. Truth be told, I was jealous of Nyota. Jealous that she'd stolen you away. But now, the two of you broke up and Nyota loves another, from what I've heard. So, may I propose:will you be my boyfriend?"

"Of course I will!" said Spock, overjoyed. "So, may I request a meld?"

Kirk smiled. "Yes."

Spock nodded, gratified, and reached for his love's face, matching his fingers with psi points easily.

"My mind to your mind," he said. "My thoughts to your thoughts."

Melding with James T. Kirk was overwhelming in the best possible way; it was burning hot like the deserts of Vulcan, and gentle and sweet like the moonlight of Earth. Waves of powerful feelings washed over him, leaving him dry but not untouched.

Everything he saw was bright like his captain's smile, golden like his hair, his skin, undeniable, and absolutely wonderful.

 _Your mind is unlike any I have ever experienced,_ Spock told him.

 _This is amazing,_ Kirk hummed through the meld. _You are amazing, Spock._

Spock shivered with pleasure, gently gliding through his captain's dynamic mind, reveling in the warmth and the comfort of his t'hy'la.

 _What is that word?_ Kirk asked. _What's a t'hy'la?_

Spock told him _It's an old Vulcan word, ashayam._

_What does it mean?_

_The closest approximation is friend, brother, and lover, all at once. We were destined to be t'hy'lara._

Finally Spock pulled away, leaving Kirk staring at him with those impossibly blue eyes and that glorious smile.

"T'hy'la ," Kirk said, trying it out on his tongue. "Friend, brother, lover. Right?"

"That is correct, Jim."

Kirk grinned again, eyes shining. "So then, you mean like soulmates?"

"Technically, yes," Spock said. "Approximately, I suppose."

Jim Kirk's smile was brilliant, worth seeing after everything they'd gone through to be here. They embraced tightly.

Spock thought back to all of the misunderstandings, the dislike, the illogical violence, the teasing, and the hurt, and he thought all of it had been worth it for that exact moment, Jim wrapped up safe and sound in his arms, healthy and alive and his. When he thought back on those things, he had to pull Jim closer, satisfying his illogical need to discern Jim's well-being.

"Soulmates," Kirk breathed, reaching up to cup Spock's cheek in his hand. "I've…I've never stuck with just one person for so long, you know. And no one's ever stuck with me except Bones. And Bones isn't…"

"Ashayam," Spock said softly. "I will not leave you. And I will never give you a reason to leave me. We will be together."

"You can guarantee that?"

"Jim. Wherever we may go in this universe, be satisfied in knowing that I will only ever have one t'hy'la. For me, there will only ever be you. It is my fervent desire that you feel the same way."

Kirk smiled at Spock. He was the sun. He was life and light—a guiding star.

"I love you, Spock," he said honestly.

"As I love you, Jim."

Kirk was satisfied, and Spock held him closer. "Will you bond with me, as my alternate self did with yours?" asked the White Lantern.

"Indeedle-dee-doe! So...how soon can we do this? Is it like a human wedding that takes weeks of planning, or do we need people to officiate, or what?" Spock was quiet for a moment, and when Kirk looked up he saw that he was blushing furiously. "You okay?"

"M'm fine." Spock replied. "The bonding...only requires the two participants. There is much ceremony and ritual surrounding it on Vulcan, but but the act itself can be done at any time. And as another request, I ask of everyone present to bear witness. Please?"

"Alright." replied Kirk. "S'chn T'gai Spock, parted from me and never parted. Never and always touching and touched. Now and for all time, I am claimed by thee." he declared.

Spock could feel the pull of Kirk's mind, impatient and wanting as ever, and it made him chuckle. "James Tiberius Kirk, parted from me and never parted. Never and always touching and touched." His voice was quiet, soft, and his face was mere inches from Kirk's. "I claim thee as my bondmate, now and for all time."

"You may now kiss your mate." said Kirk, then pulled Spock close and kissed him fiercely.

"Congratulations, Captain Kirk and Commander Spock." said Saint Walker.

* * *

Jaylah was on a balcony with only a warm-looking white shawl draped over her, watching the sun slowly rise over the horizon. Silently, it seemed, the wind grazed her form, playing with her long strands of silvery-white hair and making it seem as if they themselves liquidated and became translucent, turning into the strong breeze itself. Khan flew up next to her and sat on the balustrade, and seeing him, Jaylah thought he'd never looked so stunning with his midnight-black hair and dark wings like a seraphim. Softly, she sang for him.

_Here again at the top of the world,_

_Two friends enjoying this beautiful morning,_

_In my eyes you are beautiful, too,_

_Sharing the top of the world..._

"I'll always have your back." Khan said.

"Yes, we're in this together." Jaylah replied. "You're such a good friend, Khan Noonien."

"Indeed." Khan chuckled. "Your friend...Now that we're cool, can I share with you a secret? 300 years ago, when I had my own kingdom, I had this idea. What if somebody wanted to invite all their friends over to watch TV but their apartment's too small. So I was like, what if there was a couch, but like, a bunk bed. Introducing the double-decker couch! So everyone could watch TV together and get along!" As he spoke, he made a construct double-decker couch.

Jaylah laughed. "That is literally the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Maybe you were overthrown because of that!" She then took a deep breath, and said "James T. and Highball are off to someplace called Oa to make more green rings while Ferry's taking Nyota to meet more like them. They told me themselves, and Highball also said that if Thaal Sin could get that many recruits in about the span of a week, then why couldn't he?" said Jaylah, making Khan laugh. She then produced a fine silver chain from which hung an elaborate pendant. "This belonged to my father. I want you to take it." she said, and fastened it around Khan's neck.

"What is this?" Khan inquired.

"It's the symbol of the space trader guild me and my family was a part of. Receiving this means you're family now." Jaylah replied.

Suddenly, they heard a ruckus down below. "What's going on?" asked Khan.

"Let's find out for ourselves!" said Jaylah, and asked. "You flying me down there?"

"With pleasure." said Khan, and picked Jaylah up bridal style. The two flew down and saw Guy arguing with Shenara.

"I know what it means, knucklehead." Guy growled at Shenara. "I'm not stupid."

"Could have fooled me, toDSaH." the Klingon glared.

"Look who's talking, I wasn't the one who challenged Cupcake to a duel." Guy said. "Cupcake" was the nickname given to one of the Enterprise's security officers, in his cadet years, he had gotten into a fistfight with Kirk and it was no secret that he had a massive crush on Uhura.

"Yeah, and you're the one who's drinking buddies with him!" Shenara retaliated.

"Ya got a problem with that?" Guy growled, his ring letting out tiny sparks. Before he could do anything, Jaylah stepped up and asked "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Guy! What happened?"

Guy, with a visible frown on his face, pointed at the fuming Klingon and said "She challenged Cupcake to a life-and-death duel!"

And Shenara wouldn't back down. "That "Cupcake" insulted me and my honor first!"

A yellow blush crept onto Jaylah's cheeks as she looked at the Yellow Lantern. Truly, the Klingon was a fine specimen—warm brown skin, blood red eyes, black hair and defined forehead ridges. She was the most beautiful thing Jaylah ever saw. Was this what Spocky and James T. saw in each other, and what Khan Noonien saw in his Vengeance?

"Jaylah?"

"Jaylah?"

"JAYLAH!"

Khan's voice snapped her out of her reverie. "What the hell?" said the Augment. "You were completely lost!"

"I...I'm sorry." said Jaylah.

Shenara, meanwhile, was also blushing hard—now she looked more purple in the face than brown. The Starfleet cadet that had come with the Dawnbreaker, she was simply so stunning. Snow-white skin, black markings adorning them, yellow eyes and silky hair bundled up in a loose ponytail. The glorious sight made her forget all about her argument with Guy Gardner, or the beef she had with "Cupcake".

Oh.

No.

There is no way...she swore...not after M'Lara.

She can't be, right?

She was so lost in her thoughts, she couldn't feel Sinestro show up next to her and drag her away with a construct.

_LATER..._

Everybody was on Oa, meeting the new green recruits. They were the first steps in creating order for the universe and one of them was an actual planet. "Fascinating." said Spock as he and Kirk floated up to meet him.

 _Greetings, Commander Spock. I am Mogo_. said the planet in a friendly voice.

"Hey, Mogo." said Hal as he came up next to Kirk and Spock. "Glad to see ya again."

 _I do not understand,_ said Mogo. _Do I know you?_

"Trust me, we go way back." Hal smiled.

"Please pardon him, Mr. Mogo." said Spock. "He came here from another reality and in that one, you were his friend."

Some time later, a Guardian named Paalko was sizing Khan up. "You expect us to believe that a threat is on the horizon and the Red Death is our only salvation?"

Once again, Jaylah stood up for the Augment. "Not the Red Death, the Dawnbreaker! Also, we have proof. Just ask him!" She then pointed at an adjacent Indigo Lantern. He was none other than First Onagan'matod—the indigos had reformed him. Unfortunately, Indigo-1 had claimed that he couldn't live any longer, since once a Jem'Hadar reached adulthood, he needed a constant supply of a drug called ketracel-white, which provided all the necessary nutrients, in order to survive. Without this drug, he became increasingly violent and right now, the indigo ring was the only thing calming the Jem'Hadar Lantern down.

Meanwhile, Tantho was trying to figure out why Hal was suddenly alright around Sinestro. "Lantern Jordan, may I inquire what's up with you and Sinestro?" he asked.

"Actually, we love each other." Hal said. "Sure, we have fought in the past, but it's alright now. And, by the way, didn't you hear something about how the unification of willpower and fear will bring peace and light to the universe?" That made Sinestro smile.

"No such thing." said Tantho, confused.

"Back when our home universe was still thriving with life, that was a fact no one denied. A corps was formed in honor of me and my Hal, called the Green Sinestro Scouts. Although it was small in numbers, each and every member was dedicated. And they almost succeeded...until Nekron happened." Sinestro explained.

"No time to waste." the Head Guardian declared. "We should begin the inauguration of James Kirk as proper corps leader now that the Green Lantern Corps is becoming shaped properly."

And so Kirk was brought out to meet the newbies—all of them looked happy and lively. "Corps—I present to you, your leader!" announced the Head Guardian. Before the captain could make one of his famous speeches, a big explosion went off in a nearby area.

"Breakthrough, it's the bad guys!" cried a Jem'Hadar soldier.

"If my guesses are correct, they're here to drain Ion!" said Aya.

"I just hope Nyota and Carol F. are alright..." murmured John. Unfortunately, things didn't look so bright on Zamaron but the Star Sapphires were still holding their own.

Back on Oa, the Green Lanterns and their allies were struggling. "Corps Leader, they're gaining on us!" said a new recruit. "Do something!"

"Um...sorry, guys, I find myself at a bit of a loss." said Kirk, as his construct was getting out of hand and was close to getting sucked into a Jem'Hadar soldier's siphoning device.

Khan looked at the scene unfold before him. If he initiated a blackout right here, there was no guarantee it wouldn't just take down everyone. Suddenly, inspiration struck like a starship in warp. There was no guarantee if the darkness of his ring would corrupt Kirk's ring, but he decided to try it anyway.

And at that moment...his body had just moved on its own.

"Need some help, Captain?" asked the Dawnbreaker. He had reinforced Kirk's construct with his ring, preventing it from getting drained.

"I never thought I'd say this but...thanks." said the Green Leader as he smiled a real smile. Meanwhile, in the struggle, a container full of green rings tumbled off its pedestal, spilling the rings. Immediately, they whizzed away, and one of them found a worthy bearer.

_Jaylah of -KRTZKT ERROR KAAK-, you have the willpower to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps._

"Woo-hoo! Fellas, look at me!" cried Jaylah as she began fancy flying. Her Green Lantern uniform resembled a futuristic space suit more than anything, sans a helmet.

"Yay-hey! Another flying buddy!" Guy exclaimed.

That was when blaster fire began raining down on the goody-goodies and Khan, then somebody yelled "BATTLE CRUISER!"

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Guy screamed.

"Thaal, I've always wanted to say this, but if we ever make it out of this alive, let's get married." said Hal.

"With pleasure." replied Sinestro.

And then the battle cruiser launched a buncha torpedoes from her forward torpedo launcher. "Hey," Kirk began, "Thanks for saving my life back there. Even if, you know, eventually it turned out to be pointless."

"Well, for what it's worth, this has been the greatest fifteen minutes of my life." said Jaylah.

Khan smiled at the two. Maybe this would be his last stand after all...

_But wait!_

A yellow barrier blocked the torpedoes, saving everyone that was within range. Sinestro had once again used Parallax to save the day.

"What the—?" the cruiser's captain sputtered.

"Dawnbreaker, now's your chance." the Korugarian said confidently. "Take that cruiser down and—."

Before he could finish, Khan had already gotten onto the cruiser. "Guess what? Your ship is a baby carriage!" he remarked, and used his constructs to reassemble the battle cruiser into one big baby carriage, leaving the crew vulnerable to the vacuum of space.


	9. The Tomorrow Knights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guy wants some love, Saint Walker makes a friend, Khan and Jaylah bond over flying and a kitten, and we get an Aya/Enterprise moment.
> 
> Chapter Tesha!

After a tiring day, everyone had decided to take some rest. Uhura and Ferris were happily chatting on a bench. "And there was that one time Sinestro challenged me to a death-defying duel, and..." Ferris giggled.

"So did you win?" asked Uhura.

"Actually, I didn't." Ferris replied. "It's a funny story. Trust me, you'll be mind-blown when you get to know all the details. Now that I look back at it, I was such a big fat jerk back then. And, by the way...don't tell Monty."

Suddenly, an orange light landed on front of them in the shape of a Romulan. "Hey, Starfleet, glad to see you again." she said. "And your friend, too."

"Shiarrael?" asked Uhura.

"Yes, it's me." replied Shiarrael. "The Star Empire took everything in and agreed to aid you feds. The Klingons, not so much!"

Uhura groaned. "Out of all the officers, why did it have to be you?"

"I have no idea." the Orange Lantern shrugged. "I suppose...they just wanted me gone, considering what Senator Decius did to the entire Senate when he got that same ring I have now. The Empress was very angry. And I just know that my ring's slightly different..."

That notion seemed to surprise Ferris. "Different? Whaddaya mean by "different?" she asked.

"Desire powers my ring." Shiarrael explained. "There are a lot more like me, as I discovered on some strange planet called Okaara. And they all welcomed me with open arms."

"An actual living Orange Lantern Corps...and they're good guys? Gotta tell the others!" said Ferris. "C'mon, orange, follow me."

And so they all met up in one place. "This is wonderful! I did hear that the Orange Avarice Entity, Ophidian, had a secret good side to him but I didn't expect it to manifest like this." said Saint Walker.

Spock spoke up. "Then again, it might be logical since desire is another form of greed."

"At least she's not like Larfleeze." Hal said. "Look at her, she's actually being civil. Larfleeze was just one big fat hog."

The two Klingons in the room just glared. Of course, they didn't appreciate having a Romulan around. Anti-Matter Kirk noticed this and told his leader "Sindy, don't forget to keep your Klingons in check. Who knows if they'll just do something awful?"

"Noted, Lantern Kirk." Sinestro whispered back.

Suddenly, Jaylah spoke up. "So, what are we gonna call this little team now?"

"Team?" asked Kirk.

"Yes, we can't call it the Enterprisers anymore since some new additions are in, me being one of them." said the Green Lantern.

"Howzabout the Rainbow Rodeo?" Guy piped up.

"The Color Corps!" said John.

"The Bad Bunch!" Kilowog joined in.

And it continued on like that for about 30 minutes much to Sinestro's annoyance, until Khan raised his hand.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kirk spat.

"I...I just wanted to suggest a team name." said the Dawnbreaker. "Since I'm now part of the Rainbow Rodeo, or the Color Corps, or the Bad Bunch, and so on..."

"Go ahead, lad." Scotty encouraged him. "As long as it ain't something cheesy..."

"The Tomorrow Knights." Khan said. "I wish for all of you to live to see tomorrow. Kirk, you have my blood, so right now, I consider you a brother. My least favorite. Jaylah, you reached out to me when no one even dared to. Whatsisname, Sinestro, you two have a whole lifetime ahead of you, I do not want the war to ruin it."

"My name's Hal Jordan..." Hal grumbled.

"And the rest of you, you all have talents. I refuse to let them be lost forever." Khan declared.

"What about you, Khan Noonien?" asked Jaylah.

"I don't care if I live or die, it's your lives that matter." replied the Augment.

"Even Spock?" asked McCoy.

"Eh, I'm sure he'll hold his own." said Guy.

"Alright, case closed." said Kirk. "The Tomorrow Knights is what we are, from now on. You agree?"

"We do." said everybody.

And that was how the Tomorrow Knights were born, and all the members went their separate ways. Guy was heading to a bar to get a drink when he ran into a certain Vulcan officer. He recognized her as the one who was with him when he, John, and Kilowog did a presentation at Starfleet Academy. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Professor Pointy Ears!" he said.

"Live long and prosper, Mr. Gardner." said the Vulcan as she held her hand up in the ta'al, the traditional Vulcan salute. "Oh, and my name isn't Pointy Ears, it's T'Lin. Lieutenant Commander, USS Reliant."

"When I asked if you wanna meet up with me later, this is not what I'd expected." said Guy. "You see, when I saw you, I just...fell. I mean, you look so confident. And fierce. From what Spocky ol' pal told me, the Vulcans used to be a warrior race before some guy named Surak came along and turned them into the logical bastards they are now?"

"Precisely. Those who refused to follow Surak's teachings migrated to another planet, and the Romulans are their descendants." T'Lin explained.

"Well, when I saw you, I could see traces of your warrior ancestors. You see, I fancy a woman who can beat me in a fist fight. So many ladies have tried and failed to strap a saddle on Guy the stallion. But let's face it. You're the wind beneath my butterflies, the sparkling glitter glow of my eyes. So, may I ask:have you ever been in love?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gardner, but I'm afraid I don't." replied T'Lin. "Emotions of any kind are illogical and should be repressed. And love, it's just a work of hormones."

"Well, I beg to differ!" declared Guy. "It's more like a collection of small things. Like a medley of songs. It's putting someone else's needs before your wants. It's sharing hot tea on a cold morning. It's laughing at a ripped dress." The Green Lantern took a step closer. "Love is a patched skirt you could never dream of throwing away. It's not a new, shiny satin gown. As a wise woman once said, love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love!"

"You're being ridiculous." said T'Lin.

"All you need is love!" said Guy.

_GUY:_

_Just one night, give me just one night,_

_T'LIN:_

_There's no way 'cause you can't pay!_

_GUY:_

_In the name of love,_

_One night in the name of love,_

_T'LIN:_

_You crazy fool,_

_I won't give in to you,_

_GUY:_

_It's so easy, all you have to do is fall in love,_

_T'LIN:_

_Love hurts!_

_GUY:_

_All you have to do is play the game,_

_T'LIN:_

_Love scars!_

_GUY:_

_All you have to do is,_

_Take on me,_

_T'LIN:_

_No, no, no, it ain't me,_

_GUY:_

_Take me on,_

_T'LIN:_

_No, no, no, because you'll be gone,_

_In a day or two!_

_GUY:_

_I love you, always, forever,_

_Near or far, closer together,_

_Everywhere I will be with you,_

_T'LIN:_

_Love is a battlefield,_

_GUY:_

_Everything I will do for you!_

_T'LIN:_

_Don't speak!_

_I know just what you're thinking,_

_So please stop explaining,_

_Don't tell me 'cause it hurts!_

_GUY:_

_Open up your eyes, then you'll realize,_

_Here I stand with my everlasting love!_

_Need you by my side, girl, you'll be my bride,_

_You'll never be denied, everlasting love!_

_T'LIN:_

_What's love got to do, got to do with it?_

_What's love, but a second-hand emotion?_

_What's love got to do, got to do with it?_

_Who needs a heart, when a heart can be broken?_

_ GUY: _

_You're breaking my heart,_

_S'pose I never, ever met you,_

_T'LIN:_

_What's love got to do with it?_

_GUY:_

_Suppose we never fell in love,_

_T'LIN:_

_Who needs a heart?_

_GUY:_

_Suppose I kept on singing love songs,_

_T'LIN:_

_All of this music breaks my heart,_

_BOTH:_

_Yes, it breaks my heart,_

_Yes, it breaks my heart,_

_GUY:_

_I can't help falling in love with you...!_

_T'LIN:_

_I'm all out of faith,_

_This is how I feel,_

_I'm cold and I'm ashamed,_

_Lying naked on the floor,_

_GUY:_

_Take me on,_

_T'LIN:_

_Illusion never changed,_

_Into something real,_

_I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn!_

_GUY:_

_They will see us waving from such great heights,_

_"Come down now", they'll say,_

_BOTH:_

_Everything looks perfect from far away,_

_"Come down now", but we'll stay!_

_GUY:_

_'Cause, love lifts us up where we belong,_

_Where the eagles fly, on a mountain high,_

_BOTH:_

_Love makes us act like we are fools,_

_Throw our lives away, for one happy day,_

_GUY:_

_We can be heroes, just for one day..._

_T'LIN:_

_Though nothing can keep us together?_

_GUY:_

_We can steal time, just for one day,_

_BOTH:_

_We can be heroes, forever and ever,_

_We can be lovers, just for one day,_

_We can be heroes, forever and ever,_

_We can be lovers, just for one day!_

_GUY:_

_And you can tell everybody,_

_BOTH:_

_This is your song,_

_It may be quite simple but, now that it's done,_

_I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,_

_That I put down in words,_

_GUY:_

_We can be heroes!_

_T'LIN:_

_How wonderful life is,_

_GUY:_

_We can be heroes!_

_T'LIN:_

_How wonderful life is,_

_GUY:_

_We can be heroes!_

_T'LIN:_

_How wonderful life is,_

_BOTH:_

_While you're in the world!_

_I will always love you,_

_And I will always love you,_

_And I will always..._

_Love you!_

* * *

In an adjacent area, Saint Walker was healing a wilted tree when a Starfleet officer walked next to him. "Wow. That...was...amazing."

"Are you surprised?" asked the Blue Lantern.

"N...no, I'm just...How'd you do that?" the officer asked. She had two rows of spots on the sides of her forehead, which Saint Walker found quite mesmerizing.

"Oh, it's only one of the many things the blue ring can do." he replied.

"Dr. Nilani Tigan. I am a Trill, from a planet of the same name. You must be Lantern Walker!" she exclaimed.

"I am." replied Saint Walker. "Bro'Dee Walker. How do you do? And...you have lovely spots."

"My spots?" Nilani giggled. "They go all the way down each side of my body, from the top of my forehead down my neck to my toes. All Trills have those spots."

"That's wonderful!" said Saint Walker.

"Y'know, my spots aren't all that I am." replied Nilani. "I'm a doctor. I made it my mission to help sick people all over the universe. Even in the darkest and dankest of situations, I never lose hope."

"Hope...Back when my home universe was still thriving with life, hope was what my corps was all about. I once tried to find redemption for Sinestro and look where it got him. It seems you and I are more alike than I thought." he said.

"Friends?" asked Nilani, extending a hand to him.

"Friends." replied Saint Walker, and the two shook hands.

And thus began another beautiful friendship...or could it be something more? We might never know.

Suddenly, a green bolt shot past them. "Lantern Aya?" asked Saint Walker, "What's going on?"

"Ennie and I are spending some time at the hangars." Aya said happily.

That surprised the both of them. "Ennie? As in...the Enterprise?" asked Nilani.

Aya nodded. "If today's date goes well, I might as well propose to her. I can already see our wedding. Mogo's officiating, Narada's our maid of honor, and everybody we love is in attendance. It's gonna be the most epic wedding in the history of the universe."

"Very well." said Saint Walker. "I wish you best on your date."

"Thank you!" Aya said and zoomed off in the direction of the hangars.

* * *

"So, I've been thinking of your position on our silver lady, _commander._ " said Kirk. "I figured we can't go on treating you like a mere asset. I mean, that's what Admiral Marcus thought of you, amirite? Aside from your official status as Dawnbreaker and the Federation Alliance's ultimate weapon, we decided to give you a new position."

"Security officer?" Khan asked, in a mocking tone.

"Engineer. We'd like to keep you for a while."

"Not a bad decision, captain, to have the man who built the warship that almost destroyed your precious Enterprise in the engineering division."

"Actually, we only thought the red shirt matched your ring better."

Khan laughed. He noticed yet again that laughing and smiling was becoming increasingly easier, both due to Jaylah's constant influence and the lack of imminent danger.

"Anyway, you'll be working down in engineering. Under Scotty."

"Under? You mean I won't be chief engineer?" Khan stopped walking and smiling. Kirk stopped, too, and turned around.

"We have a chief engineer."

"Captain...I designed a ship, superior to yours, all alone, and within months. I designed every single piece of equipment, every weapon, every circuit, every code of programming that made the Vengeance so superior. And you want to me to work as a subordinate?"

"Commander Scott will not be relieved of his position. He earned his place here."

"Captain," Khan hissed now, "Working as anything less than head of a department is an insult to my intelligence! Need I remind you that I am not even a member of Starfleet? I don't have to..."

"Exactly. You're not even a real commander. You're a criminal in rehabilitation. To give you a position on this ship is already more than you could have dreamed of." Kirk was in captain mode now, Khan could see it.

He bristled. "You want me to work under a lesser human being?"

"There's no such thing, commander. Mr. Scott is a genius." Kirk bristled now, too. "You'll work with Mr. Scott or it will be noted in your file that you are unwilling to cooperate and as a result will be put back into cryo-sleep, and I know full well that doing so means throwing away the only chance of winning this war." Kirk spat.

When the meeting was finally over, Khan was once again accompanied by Jaylah on the way out. "Hey, what's eating you?" asked the Green Lantern.

"They made me work for your oh-so-precious Montgomery Scotty." Khan grumbled.

Jaylah offered him her hand. "Feeling down? Well, then, there's no such thing like flying to liven things up. C'mon, let's take to the skies!"

A few moments later, they were flying high above San Francisco. They rocketed over the city, barrel-rolled and banked sharply left, then right, weaving through a tunnel, over and under neon signs. They flew past a high-rise that reflected their own image back at them. Jaylah couldn't help yelling. "Yeah!"

"I'll have to admit, flying can be fun!" said Khan.

They sat on the Golden Gate Bridge, watching the sun slowly set. A small ping was heard from their rings, and they laughed upon finding out that Aya had sent a picture of her sitting on the Enterprise's captain's chair with the caption "We're engaged!". That was when they heard a ruckus. The two Lanterns immediately flew down to see what was making all that noise, and it turned out to be a couple of delinquents trying to drown a stray animal. It was Jaylah who spoke first. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"None of your business, lady!" snapped one guy.

Hearing this, Khan just wanted to shred the hell out of those thugs but Jaylah stopped him. "Save your power for the war, I'll handle this!" She then used a construct to dunk the two delinquents in the cold water repeatedly. The Red Lantern smiled, watching his new friend do all the work. After the two men had fled shivering, the Lanterns carefully opened the sack that had been trapping the animal and found out it was a small black kitten. It began to squirm in the sack, scared for its life. Khan's eyes softened as he reached his hand inside to grab the kitten. When he picked it up, he felt it shiver and squirm, starting to meow more frantically.

"It's alright, little one, I got you." said the Dawnbreaker, then wrapped the kitten up in a soft blanket construct.

Later, at a nice home near Starfleet Headquarters that served as the Tomorrow Knights' lair, said team was baffled. "What did you just say?" Kirk yelled.

"I said me and Jaylah are going to take care of the little one." Khan declared. "She has nobody else."

Meanwhile, Hal and Uhura were already busy fawning over the baby kitten as Jaylah gave her a nice warm bath. "Awwwww! She's so adorable!" said Hal.

"I know, right?" said Jaylah.

"Can we keep her, captain?" asked Uhura. "Pleeeeeeeease?"

"If that Earth animal makes my Hal happy, then I like it too." Sinestro smiled.

"Alright. After all, what harm can she do? Khan, Jaylah, you better take good care of her. She's now your responsibility." said Kirk. And that was how our hero and his pardner ended up in custody of a kitten.

When she ate dinner and fell fast asleep, Jaylah asked "So, Khan Noonien, whatcha gonna call her?"

"Saaya." replied Khan. "It's Hindi for shadow."

"It's a pretty name." said Jaylah. "I love it, but I doubt if James T. will allow her aboard the Enterprise. I do hope he does..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww, looks like Khan found the Daisy to his Doomguy! (There might be some possibilities that Saaya might be like Dex-Starr, but I doubt it 'cuz her new caretakers, the Tomorrow Knights, are all nice to her.)
> 
> Also, in the next chapter, Khan's gonna visit someplace veeeery important and Uhura finally gets to meet the man of her dreams.


	10. The Once & Future Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Dominion attacks Betazed, giving Uhura a chance to reunite with the man she'd fallen head-over-heels and heels-over-head for while Kilowog meets a very special somebody. Also, Khan will be returning to Qo'noS for renegotiation.
> 
> Chapter Dix!

A new day had dawned on the Lair, day 1 of the war. Guy banged construct pots and pans as he called out "Rise and shine, folks! It's morning briefing time!"

Once everyone had gathered in the living room for briefing, the table turned on and a holographic image of Admiral Heihachiro Nogura appeared. He was an elderly Asian man who had taken over as the de facto head of Starfleet after the demise of Alexander Marcus. _Good morning, Tomorrow Knights. That's your team name, right? I like it._ he spoke.

"Good morning, Admiral Nogura." said Kirk. He was eternally thankful that the admiral had permitted them being an official Starfleet Black Ops Team and lent them this home to use as a lair. After all, this team was already the strangest thing to ever grace the universe—eleven humans, out of which four were from an alternate reality and another one was his evil twin, two half-Vulcans who were two different versions of the same person, one Korugarian(he was uncertain whether such a species existed in this universe), one Bolovaxian, one Astonian(again, he had no idea if such a species was out there), two unknown aliens(namely Jaylah and Indigo-1), two Klingons, one Romulan, one Artificial Intelligence, one cat and one highly dangerous Augmented criminal. But Nogura had seen their worth, and noticed that they were united under a common goal.

 _As you can see, Lantern Onagan'matod is now dead. He used his last words to tell us all about the Dominion._ said Nogura, and sent them video footage of the whole scene.

In the video, the Jem'Hadar Lantern was explaining to the Admiralty how dangerous the enemy was, and also about its social systems. Turns out the Dominion was being operated by a caste system. The whole state was being ruled over by a near-mythical race known simply as the Founders. They were the creators of two genetically engineered species—one was the Vorta, a species not unlike any other, as in consisting of males, females and something in-between, and they acted as field commanders, administrators, scientists, and diplomats. Dr. Yolnut, the man who had discovered emotional energy and developed the siphoning devices, was Vorta. Another was the Jem'Hadar, created only to serve as dogs of war. As you might already know, those folks had no females or something in-between, only males and they were all basically clones of one another.

According to history books, the Founders dwelt in a giant mechanical structure located at the heart of the Empire, called the Capital. They were believed to be all-powerful, and the most powerful out of them all was their supreme ruler, Lord Okaia.

After his explanation was finished, the man dropped dead due to the lack of ketracel-white and his ring flew away to find another candidate.

 _The good news is, the Bolovaxian Union agreed to aid us._ said the admiral, much to Kilowog's delight.

"Hold up." said Kilowog. "Did you just say...Bolovaxian?"

 _Indeed I did, Lantern Kilowog. The Bolovaxians are among the most renowned warriors in the universe. I'm reminded of that fact every time I see how well you handle fights,_ replied Nogura.

"I...I don't understand. The Bolovaxians are a peaceful species..." said a very confused Kilowog.

"Different reality, remember?" said Khan, slugging the Green Lantern on the shoulder. He then added "Better luck next time, _poozer._ " before moving to the other side, leaving Kilowog speechless.

At the sight of Khan, Nogura said _Oh, Lantern Commander Singh! I am very sorry about what happened to the USS Vengeance. If you lead us to victory in the war, all your criminal records will be erased and whatever enraged you in the first place will be compensated for._

"I am...much grateful, Admiral Nogura." said the Dawnbreaker. He felt Saaya brush against his ankle, and made a harmless construct to hoist her up to his shoulders, causing many of his teammates to go "aww!".

Nogura swallowed the lump in his throat, and announced _We are dividing the ships into fleets, the Enterprise will be in the Seventh Fleet. Lantern Mogo will serve as a base of operations for the Federation Alliance militia, he has agreed._

"One more thing, Admiral Nogura." Khan said.

 _What is it, Lantern Commander Singh? I am glad to help,_ the holographic image replied.

"Can I bring my kitten aboard the Enterprise? She'll be lonely, without me or Jaylah." asked the Red Lantern.

The admiral nodded. _Given the level of your power, I trust you to keep her safe in a galaxy at war._

"Did you hear that, James T.?" said Jaylah. "Higher authority said yes. Saaya's coming with us, whether you like it or not."

The holographic image died down, indicating that briefing time was over. "Alright, team, it's off to work we go!" said Kirk, and in a flash, everyone was getting ready.

"I heard you're making a playlist." Jaylah whispered in Khan's ear.

"Indeed." Khan whispered back. "I was inspired by you."

At the Starfleet docks, the team watched as a Bolovaxian ship landed. An armored Bolovaxian woman stepped out with her escorts. "Greetings. I am Warlord Aldar of Bolovax Vik, it is an honor to work alongside you all."

"Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise, leader of the Green Lantern Corps." said Kirk as he shook hands with Aldar, her large hand easily dwarfing his own. This is my bondmate Commander Spock, my cousin Lieutenant Eugene Kirk and his bondmate Lieutenant Spol."

Said "cousin", who was actually Anti-Matter Kirk, shrugged at the antics of his alternate self. Of course, the Green Leader had given his all in fabricating false identities for both him and Anti-Matter Spock, and, believe it or not, it paid off.

Without further ado, Aldar moved on to the next person and Kilowog's eyes trailed after her.

"What's the matter, Kilo? You look a little moony." said Hal.

"I...uh..." Kilowog couldn't speak. He was busy staring at the warlord.

"O-o-h, somebody's in love!" Guy taunted.

"Knock it off, Guy." said John.

Suddenly, a hovercar pulled up next to everyone and a male Betazoid with blonde hair stepped out. Uhura recognized him as Omal Nexi, the man she'd fallen for.

"Hello, everyone." said the Betazoid Ambassador. "I received a transmission from my home planet's Ruling Council. It says...Betazed had been invaded by the Dominion. Our defense systems are obsolete and undermanned. The planet was theirs in less than ten hours."

"Oh, no." said Kirk. "With Betazed in the hands of the Jem'Hadar, the Dominion is in a position to threaten Andor, Tellar, Alpha Centauri and even New Vulcan..."

Meanwhile, Omal was talking to Uhura. "Oh, I remember you! You're that lady from Yorktown!" he said. "You said you're the Chief Communications Officer for the Enterprise..."

"Why, yes, I am!" said the African.

"I'd been looking for you." Omal replied. "Ever since I ran into you back at that starbase, I couldn't get you out of my mind. I wanted to talk to you more but...you just ran away, so I was a bit sad. Just then, I received the news that Betazed was invaded, and the distress signal they sent could still reach Earth, but I took it upon myself to alert the Enterprisers, out of hope that I might just end up seeing you again."

Uhura smiled. "I'm sorry for just running out on you. At the moment I saw you, I couldn't help myself. I wasn't my usual confident self, I had become too shy. If you still wanna talk, then I'm happy to do so."

While looking at Uhura and Omal, Kilowog wished he could talk to Aldar like that.

_LATER..._

"What?" asked Kirk. "But sir, it might not be enough! Permission to send the Seventh Fleet to Betazed."

"Sorry, captain, but the Second Fleet will suffice. The Interceptor is one of our most advanced ships, simulations have proved that she is more than capable to go head-on against a Jem'Hadar battle cruiser." said Admiral Richard Barnett.

Hearing the conversation from a corner, Khan thought it was stupid. If the Seventh Fleet was sent to Betazed, he could just initiate a blackout and wipe out the Dominion forces occupying the planet...

As if she read his thoughts, Jaylah piped up. "This is ridiculous." she said. "Who knows what weapons they have in store? But you, you're so much worse. And you proved that many times over. If only they could see what James T. and the other greenies have experienced..."

"Thank you, Jaylah." replied Khan.

"But please, don't do anything reckless, yer _better_ than dat. An' right now, we shoulda stick together, as a team." Scotty added.

"Noted, Mr. Scott." said the Augment, still eyeing the man he was supposed to work under with a quite disappointing glare.

"Right now, the Seventh Fleet is scheduled for more important business." said Barnett. "It will be sent to the Klingon Empire and warn them about the threat of the Dominion."

Guy perked up at the news, and turned to Shenara. "Oh, that's great! Maybe you and your daddy can convince them to join the Alliance..."

"That's none of your business, toDSaH." growled the Yellow Lantern. "Father and I are already traitors for still following Sinestro."

"Okay, fine." Guy grunted out. "I didn't want it anyway, knucklehead."

Something snapped in Khan's brain at that moment as his mind jerked back to something he did before he became the Dawnbreaker. _Khan, you utter moron! Why did I go ahead and do that? If I never did that, Sinestro would still be in charge of the Klingon Empire and everything would be easy as pie..._

_~FLASHBACK~_

"You know who I am." said the Red Lantern. "The last time I was on this planet, I slaughtered an entire squadron of you. And that was without my family by my side. Surely you realize that my victory is inevitable...so why waste your time and mine? Besides..." he said as he got himself off the ground, holding the corpse of Larfleeze by its snapped neck. "I have a mutually beneficial proposal for you."

"This is the second time a stranger with a ring has invaded the highest sanctum of our empire!" roared a Klingon Council member.

"We pledged allegiance to Sinestro because he promised to end the Federation once and for all." added another. "What more could you possibly offer?"

"Freedom from Sinestro." Khan said, and threw the corpse of Larfleeze in front of the Council. "This grotesque animal told me of Sinestro's plan, and how to follow him to the planet Oa. Once I acquire the power Sinestro seeks, we will invade the heart of the Federation together in numbers they cannot withstand. Earth will be mine, and you will have your empire back. So shall we continue battling against ourselves...or create the future together?"

_~END FLASHBACK~_

The Augment took a deep breath, and said "Sirs, I think sending an entire fleet there could be viewed as a declaration of war, so I request, only I will venture to Kronos and try to negotiate with the Klingons."

"Wait, wait, wait." said Jaylah. "I don't know Klingon-speak but there's no way in hell I'm just sending you over there alone. Aside from James T. and Montgomery Scotty, you're the first true friend I've had in ages. I'm with you."

"Take me over there, too. I have all the evidence you need." said Aya.

"Hey, ugly...I mean, Dawnbreaker...we've got a score to settle, don't forget that." Guy chimed in.

"Oh, trust me, I'd fly circles around you." Khan laughed.

Guy laughed too. "Anyways, I ain't gonna let those knuckleheads beat you to a bloody pulp before I get a chance to do so."

"We're a crew, and crews stick together." said Hal.

Lastly, much to everyone's surprise, Sinestro raised his hand. "Count me in." he said.

"But Thaal..." Hal began.

"I know, sweet fire, I know." said Sinestro as he put an arm around his par'Mach'kai. "I might get snipped, I know that. But I have the embodiment of fear under my command, and as somebody who ruled that barbaric empire before, I could at least...try, right?"

"Alright, Knights, score settled, right?" said Kirk. "We're not just gonna let our ultimate weapon wander off into hostile territory with no backup."

"Correction, Captain Kirk." said Saint Walker. "Not a weapon. Our Ultimate Hope."

"Am I allowed to get a word in?" asked Spock.

"C'mon, guys." said John. "We've seen what he's capable of. His ring's all the backup he needs."

"But we're still going with him. Who knows if he'll just switch sides?" Kirk shot back.

The Admiralty couldn't help but laugh at the team's antics. So it was decided. The Enterprise, with the Tomorrow Knights on board, would be sent to Qo'noS.

* * *

In all honesty, the Klingon High Council wasn't expecting their new ally to just barge in like that after weeks of no contact, with the traitors, their former emperor, a number of Federation goons and a Romulan by his side and an Earth animal on his shoulder. "What happened?" asked a member. "Why are you dressed like _that?_ At least you're still upholding our end of the deal, right?"

"Um, not exactly." said Khan, in perfect Klingon.

"What?" said all 24 members of the High Council, rising from their seats, anger evident in their faces.

"You see, there's a new threat out there. The Dominion. The Federation's in cahoots with the Romulans and the Bolovaxians to defeat it. I've been recruited by this new Federation Alliance to be their Ultimate Hope, and I offer my sincerest apologies for not upholding our deal, but right now, the whole Alpha Quadrant is in jeopardy. Back then, I asked if we'll continue battling against ourselves or if we'll create the future together. Lieutenant Uhura?"

"Yeah, he did say that." Uhura said. "But if you don't join the Alliance against this new threat, there will be no future. Who knows if they're growing stronger by the minute, with all the new powers they've acquired? Please, this is a truce we're calling for."

"A truce?" growled yet another Klingon Council member. "This is most absurd. Whatever you're planning, we won't fall for it. And you, human, what gives you the right to do this?" he said, pointing at Kirk."

"I do." the captain smirked. "I am the Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814, and the leader of the Green Lantern Corps." Uhura translated the line in Klingon, and Kirk gestured at Aya. "Miss Aya?"

Aya smiled, and showed footage of the Tomorrow Knights fighting against Dominion forces. "This is where we're at right now." she said. "And we didn't make all of this up, we swear. There are armies incomprehensible. Lord Sinestro?"

Sinestro swallowed the lump in his throat, and spoke. "I just know it. All of you have hearts in there, somewhere. I speak from experience. Once, I fought to instill fear in every corner of the universe. Now, I fight to protect those that are precious to me." With that word, he exchanged a loving glance with Hal. "You've got to have something you value. If you wish to protect them, then we must come to an accord."

All 24 council members were at a loss for words. Aside from their honor, they did have their responsibilities and something else more...personal.

It was Khan's turn again to speak. He cracked a confident smile, and said "I did a lot of research on you people. You are not just a group of warriors, honor is not just war. You can bring great honor to the Empire if you help us defeat the enemy. Please?"

"F-ine." the High Council agreed.

"We agree, and once everything's over, we go our separate ways peacefully and in future we can continue on as enemies." one of them said.

"Team—mission accomplished!" said Kirk, and they all made their way out.

As they were heading back to the Enterprise, the Klingons stopped dead on their tracks. "What's wrong?" asked Sinestro.

"Sire, if you will pardon us, we have someplace to visit." said Tirrok.

And so, everyone changed their course to stop in front of a quite big house, where they met a female Klingon. "Who is she?" asked Guy, watching Tirrok speak to her.

"That's Karana. My mother." Shenara replied. "She and Father parted ways when Father refused to renounce his loyalties to Sinestro, and I, as you humans would put it, had been a "daddy's girl" from the start, which resulted in Mother cutting her ties with me as well. But...seeing our liege make amends with that friend of yours, I suppose Father began wishing to patch things up with Mother too."

"Ouch." said Guy.

"I never had the chance to reconcile with my mom." Hal added. "But Shenara, as your...um...Empress Consort? I say that you shouldn't wait for yours."

"qatlho', Sir Jordan." said the Yellow Lantern, expressing her gratitude with the Klingon equivalent of "thanks". She then moved in the direction of her parents, screaming "vav! SoS!"

One not quite nice conversation later, Karana pulled both her husband and her daughter into a tight hug. Everyone smiled, and Guy even shed a tear. Uhura and Ferris, as Star Sapphires, could feel the familial love overflowing from the three and were glad everything worked out. Sulu saw the whole thing as well, and he made up his mind to confess everything to Ben and Demora after all the hardships were over.


	11. Vigilante Vengeance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, White Lantern Diana reunites with old friends and meets new faces, one of which reminds her a lot of her first love. But their relationship...it's not gonna be the same. Just a heads up, I love Spirk and I prefer Diana with a female partner but this time around, WonderKirk will be endgame, just so our hero can complete his vengeance.
> 
> Chapter Elva!

Her name was Diana Of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolyta, goddess of war and now, the White Lantern and herald of the Life Entity. She had been found by a nice woman named Gaila, a member of an alien species called the Orions and was taught many things. One thing she learned was that some of her friends were alive. Nekron might have taken everything away from her, including her beloved Princess Audrey and her twin sister Nubia, but thank goodness, at least she still had something to hold on to. Another thing was, this Federation had many enemies but no superheroes to combat them. So Diana continued to help people as Wonder Woman, and upon learning that the Federation had made lots of allies in order to fight a new threat known as the Dominion, she asked Gaila if she can bring her over to Starfleet Headquarters some other day.

"But why?" asked the Orion. "No, wait, lemme guess. You wanna meet the other Lanterns, don't you?"

The Amazonian smiled, and nodded. She would kick the Weevil Bun's ass to Zamaron and back if she ever met her again. On the other hand, if Hal managed to rekindle his relationship with Sinestro, she would give them her blessing. After all, the violet light of love still burned stronger than ever within her, and the greatest love she held among it all was love for all life. That was part of the reason why the white ring came for her.

And right now, she was at the Starfleet docks, awaiting the Enterprise's return as the sun set behind her. The flagship had gone to a place called...Kronos? to negotiate with the Klingons. Maybe Gaila would drop a word or two about her to the crew. Soon enough, the ship landed and the crew disembarked. Suddenly, a familiar streak of green caught her eye and a voice cried out, "Diana? YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Are you kidding me, Hal? Of course I am!" she said as the two enveloped each other in a fierce hug. She then placed a hand on her lasso of truth to ensure that she wouldn't be seen as an impostor, and explained "I almost died but dumb luck got me here, and then a white ring found me. I've been back to being Wonder Woman again since then."

"That's great!" said Hal. "C'mon, we've got a lot to talk about."

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, the White Lantern spotted someone. He looked an awful lot like Steve Trevor, but it wasn't possible. Half-dazed, she asked Hal "Who is he?"

"Oh, he's James T. Kirk, our fearless leader. I'll explain everything when we're back in our lair." said Hal.

_LATER..._

"O-o-h, so that's how it happened!" giggled Diana as she was sitting next to Uhura. "I think I'm gonna like it here."

"Welcome to the Tomorrow Knights, Princess Diana." said the African Star Sapphire with a warm smile. "I'll introduce everyone. You've already met Sinestro, Saint Walker, Carol F., John, Guy, Kilowog, Indigo-1 and Captain Kirk? That pointy-eared guy over there, is Commander Spock, our resident half-Vulcan. He's the captain's bondmate. The other two are Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock from this world's Anti-Matter Universe. They're bonded as well."

"Bonded? As in...married?" asked Diana, sighing. If it was real, then it meant she had no chance with the Kirk. But then again, they barely knew each other, so she might as well let it slide.

"That's right." Uhura said. "And these two, are Tirrok and Shenara. They're Klingons, and they're also father and daughter. That pointy-eared girl is Shiarrael, she's a Romulan."

"'Ello, lassie, me name's Montgomery Scott. Yer can call me Scotty if you want." said Scotty as he offered a hand to Diana, who shook it.

"He's my new boyfriend." Ferris added.

Diana was surprised. "Wait...you have a new man?"

"I do." said Ferris. "He opened my eyes, I owe so much to him. I'm done being evil. I formally apologized to Sinestro while making our way back to Earth from Kronos."

"That's great!" said Diana as Scotty blushed and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek.

"I'm Hikaru Sulu." Sulu introduced himself as well.

Aya was next. "Greetings, Lantern Diana. I am Aya."

"And...wait, where's Bones and Carol M.?" asked Kirk.

"They are locked in their bedroom." Guy informed him.

"Aya?"

"I am not getting into that. It's part of the code McCarol. I also have code Spirk, code Sinhal, and..."

"Alright, alright. Last but not least, our troublemaker Jaylah and our Most Valuable Player Khan." said Kirk as he got up and introduced the remaining two.

"Please, call me Dawnbreaker." said Khan.

"Your ring." said Diana. "It's not like anything I've seen before. You got it from Atrocitus, right? Then how on earth did it..."

"How did it change? You'll have to get comfortable, Wonder Woman. It's a long story." Khan replied, and began his story. By the time he was done, Diana had tears in her eyes.

The Amazonian left her original seat to sit next to the Augment and held his hand. "I'm sorry, Dawnbreaker. Although your love story is the strangest thing I've ever heard in my entire life, Commander Spock had no right to do such a thing to you. Love is love, no matter who bears the heart."

Spock heard this, and walked over to Diana. "Excuse me, Miss Diana? I'm sorry to say this, but he doesn't deserve love. He's a criminal who killed many innocent men and women. We're only keeping him only because the Dominion has technology that can drain Lanterns' rings, but it's ineffective against him. Once the war is over, he will answer for his crimes."

"Actually, Admiral Nogura said that all of Lantern Commander Singh's criminal records will be erased if he helps us win the war." Aya informed him.

That made Spock frown. "Don't listen to her. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, I crippled the Vengeance because it was the only logical thing to do while Khan's... _Lantern Commander Singh's_ feelings for it were not."

"For someone who is me, you're a pretty poor excuse for a Vulcan." Anti-Matter Spock butted in. "At least I know the meaning of infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Before me and my Jim joined the Yellow Lantern Corps, we helped our Khan out so he could live happily ever after with his Vengeance. And what you did to Lord Sinestro, I had to apologize for it. And you claim that you love your Jim, but..."

"You don't give a hoot about who or what other people chooses to love." Diana finished for him.

Listening to all of this from a corner, Kirk decided to step up. "Spock...listen. I love you and I cannot forgive Sinestro for what he did to you, but they're right. _She's_ right. Two wrongs don't make a right. You took his blood so I may live again, but you did nothing to bring the Vengeance back."

"No, t'hy'la, _you_ listen. How can I do that? That's illogical! Romantic interactions between a man and a starship is illogical!" Spock yelled.

"Then why is the existence of super-blood that literally cures death _not?_ " Kirk quietly asked.

Spock opened his mouth to speak, but Bones and Carol entered the living room, saying "Uh...what did we miss?"

"Leonard, Carol M., this is Diana." said Hal as he introduced his friend. "She's an old friend from back in our home universe."

* * *

"This is simply wonderful." said one of the admirals as she inspected Diana. "Will miracles ever stop happening?"

"Maybe they will. Maybe they won't!" said another.

All in all, the little talk with the Admiralty was successful and Diana's status as an official member of the Tomorrow Knights was cemented. After it was over, she decided to spend the time she had left bonding with her new colleagues before everything went to hell. She found Khan at the Tree Of Wonders listening to The Mariner's Revenge Song by The Decemberists while reading Moby Dick by Herman Melville. "Excuse me? Dawnbreaker?" she asked him.

He seemed to notice her. "Wonder Woman?"

"Is that Moby Dick you're reading?" she asked.

"Yes." Khan replied. "Captain Ahab lost a leg to the infamous white whale. On the day Spock took my Vengeance away, all my limbs were intact but something so much more had been lost. That left a void in my soul, and it was let out through my ring."

"I know how you feel. You might doubt it since I'm not from this reality, but trust me, I've been there. Twice. During the First World War, I found someone who I thought was the love of my life. He also looked a lot like Captain Kirk, if they were put next to each other, you'd think they were twins. But I lost him."

"I'm sorry." he said.

"Don't be." said Diana, and sang a verse from The Mariner's Revenge Song. _"It took me 15 years, to swallow all my tears, among the urchins in the street..."_

"I think it's gonna take a lot longer than that to swallow all my tears."

"Thank goodness, I found new love decades later. She was the most wonderful woman I ever met, but when my home universe was lost at Nekron's hands, she died as well. When you told me your story, I realized. You're suffering from lost love too. Oh, and I have some poetry that I would like to recite to you in honor of the recent, um, transformations in your life." Diana put a hand on her chest. "This is Rilke." she said.

_"You, sent out beyond your recall,  
_

_go to the limits of your longing._

_Embody me._

_Flare up like a flame,_

_and make big shadows I can move in._

_Let everything happen to you:beauty and terror._

_Just keep going. No feeling is final._

_Don't let yourself lose me._

_Nearby is the country they call life._

_You will know it by its seriousness._

_Give me your hand."_

Khan stared at Diana, his eyes bright. "Flare up like a flame!" he exclaimed. "That is moving, yes. That is quite lovely, flaring up like a flame. Thank you very much."

Suddenly, Kirk landed next to the two. "Diana, Khan, you've gotta get around and see this. Everyone's here to bid us farewell. We're finally being sent. The Second Fleet hit the Dominion forces occupying Betazed, but they keep sending in reinforcements and fortifying their positions on the surface so we find it."

_LATER..._

Kirk and his mother Winona shared one final embrace while his brother Sam, sister-in-law Aurelan and nephew Peter said godspeed. Spock exchanged simple goodbyes with his father Sarek, his half-brother Sybok, sister-in-law T'Zet and niece T'Vik. McCoy wasn't expecting his ex-wife Natira and daughter Joanna to show up, but they had come anyway. Uhura's family, on the other hand, had heard about everything and her mother even said "I'm glad you finally ditched that stuffy guy and started courting a real man."

McCoy butted in. "Well said, Mrs. Uhura. That pointy-eared hobgoblin wouldn't know a thing about love or loyalty if it came up and smacked him in the face."

"Leonard, please!" Uhura giggled.

Carol was talking to her mother Serena. "Don't worry, Mom." said the Indigo Lantern. "I'll do my best to make it back in one piece."

Serena was in tears. "But how can I not? After all, you're the only family I have left!" she said, and cried even harder. Carol made a construct towel and started wiping the tears off her mother's face.

Sulu was searching desperately for the two people that were missing. They weren't out of the shuttle yet. Suddenly, a voice called out. "Hikaru?"

"Ben!" said the lieutenant, and ran in his husband's direction.

"Dad?" said Demora as she came from behind her Pops. "I heard you were going to war. Me and Pops are very worried about you."

"Look, I've got something to tell you two." Sulu spoke nervously. "The truth is, all those years I've been out in space, I was...I had a boyfriend."

"What?" the two yelled out at the same time.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm so sorry. But hurting either one of you was the last thing I wanted. I love you, Ben, but I love him too. And now he's dead. Are you upset?"

"Upset?" Ben asked. "Sure. I'm upset. I'm upset that you didn't call Demora up and tell her that she almost had three daddies."

Demora just gave a sly smile. The rest of the Tomorrow Knights had sure heard the conversation, and Kirk said "Alright, team, it's off to war we go!"

Meanwhile, two certain members were out in space, and one of them were very surprised. "You did it...again?!" cried Hal.

"Sure!" Sinestro said, gesturing at the moon. It now had a gigantic love-heart with their names on it carved on its front. "It was much easier than last time, since I have Parallax now."

"Wow, Sin, I...I appreciate the gesture, but if this universe ever gets destroyed and we get flung into another one, then don't vandalize the moon for me." Hal muttered.

"I will try." replied Sinestro. "Also, when the Dominion attacked Oa, you said that you would marry me if we ever made it out of this alive. I'd love to make it official, right now." He then began singing.

_SINESTRO:_

_I'll swim and sail on savage seas,_

_With ne'er a fear of drowning,_

_And gladly ride the waves of life,_

_If you would marry me…_

_No scorching sun, no freezing cold,_

_Will stop me on my journey..._

"Is this from that viral video?" asked Hal.

Sinestro nodded. "Yes. And I mean every word, just like that Lei-yeh-nar person." he said before continuing on.

_If you would promise me your…heart…_

_And love…_

_"…and love for all eternity…"_ Hal finished, then sang his own lyrics in response, deeply touched.

_HAL:_

_My dearest one, my darling dear,_

_Your mighty words astound me,_

_But I've no need of mighty deeds,_

_When I feel your arms around me!_

Soon, the two were swung into a frolicsome fandango. They couldn't stop smiling as they did a wild and joyous dance together.

_SINESTRO:_

_But I would bring you rings of gold,_

_I'd even sing you poetry,_

"Oh, would you?" Hal snickered.

_SINESTRO:_

_And I would keep you from all harm,_

_If you would stay beside me!_

_HAL:_

_I have no use for rings of gold,_

_I care not for your poetry,_

_I only want your hand to hold,_

_SINESTRO:_

_I only want you near me,_

_BOTH:_

_To love and kiss, to sweetly hold,_

_For the dancing and the dreaming,_

_Through all life's sorrows and delights,_

_I'll keep your laugh inside me!_

_I'll swim and sail on savage seas,_

_With ne'er a fear of drowning,_

_I'd gladly ride the waves of life,_

_If you would marry me-e-e!_

They kissed, and Hal said "See you on the battlefield." before they parted ways, Hal to the Enterprise, and Sinestro to the Narada.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next stop:Liberate Betazed!


	12. At Wit's End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains the beginning of WonderKirk. One more thing, as I work on this story, I came to love it so much that it is getting a sequel, although Khan won't be in it.
> 
> Vuhlkansu Translation:  
> Ashal-veh=Darling
> 
> Chapter Doisprezece!

"So why exactly did you feel the need to join us?" asked Uhura, although she was secretly glad that Omal had decided to accompany the Seventh Fleet.

"It's my home planet we're talking about." replied Omal. "And, I thought this team needed someone to keep it from falling apart."

Uhura nodded, despite her knowing Diana would be more than capable of doing that job. "If we make it out of this alive, then let's have dinner together. Your company is very stimulating and I would love to talk to you more."

"Agreed. Your company is very stimulating as well." said Omal, and that was when Aya alerted that the fleet had arrived at Betazed.

"C'mon, armada." Hal said hopefully to the entire Seventh Fleet. "Let's take back Betazed!"

In the engineering division, Scotty sang out commands. _"Hit dat switch, turn this knob, hit dat lever, do dat spaceship thing! Heave-ho, weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! Set sail!"_

"Monty, there's no wind in space." Ferris reminded him.

Scotty said, "Let me handle this."

"Calm down!" cried Ferris.

"Oh, lassie, dannae touch me when I'm spaceshipping!" Scotty cried back.

Back on the bridge, Uhura received a transmission. A female figure appeared on a viewscreen, she looked human, only she wasn't. "I am General Luen, Intergalactic Naval Commander of the Dominion." she said. "Whatever you're thinking, it won't work against us."

"Oh, yeah?" asked Kirk. "Khan—give them a welcome blackout!"

"Aye, captain." replied said Augment, who was out in the open.

_Initiating blackout._

"Now what?" asked Spock.

"We strike." replied Kirk, and sent the signal.

"Got it." Sinestro instantly replied, followed by every other ship in the Seventh Fleet.

General Luen sent a signal to every ship in the Dominion forces to fight back as well, and soon, the two forces were locked in a fierce battle. "Now, Aya!" Kirk ordered.

"On it!" Aya replied, and supercharged a dozen torpedoes before they were fired. They all went off in spectacular explosions that took down many enemy ships. Jaylah, being her feisty self, was out in the open right next to Khan, mostly because they were partners.

"Bogey, three o'clock!" Jaylah exclaimed, "Fire!"

They both started attacking the enemy fighters, having the time of their lives. "This is...this is wonderful!" Khan cried.

"Yeah!" Jaylah agreed.

"Hasta la vista, baby!" they both shouted in joy when the Reliant came up right behind them.

"Need some help, Lanterns?" asked the Reliant's captain. "Lieutenant Commander T'Lin said you might be having trouble."

"Sorry, but we're fine on our own." Khan replied.

"Well, I..." The captain swallowed thickly. "Alright, sirs. See you on the ground!"

Pretty soon, the skies were cleared. Now all that was left was the ground forces. Khan and Jaylah shook hands one last time before going their separate ways. "See you down there." said the Green Lantern.

"I will." smiled the Red Lantern.

Meanwhile, back in the Enterprise, Uhura was ready to beam down, a phaser in her belt and a spear in her hand in case she got drained. Omal caught her, and said "Lieutenant, will you do me a favor? My niece, my brother's daughter, might be in danger. Her name's Athena, and she's staying at our family home." He then whispered the coordinates into her ear.

"You can count on me, Ambassador." Uhura said with a confident smile.

"Omal, please."

"Then you may call me Nyota. See you on the ground, Omal."

"Right back at ya, Nyota." said Omal, and Uhura disappeared in a flash of light. Once she was on Betazed's surface, she sped off in search of one Athena Nexi, who she found crying in the destroyed family garden.

Athena saw the Starfleet insignia on Uhura's Lantern Uniform, and calmed down. Uhura smiled at her. "Why, aren't you a dear! I'm Nyota. Your uncle sent me to collect you."

"M...miss Nyota?" Athena sniffed. "Look out, the creepies are gonna come around. My mom, my dad...they died trying to get me away."

At first, Uhura had no idea what she was talking about but soon, she realized that the girl was talking about the Jem'Hadar. "Don't worry, I'll get you to safety. There's nothing to worry about, I'm here."

Just then, a strange sound was heard. _Beep bop boop, scan, scan._ The sound came from a robot that seemed to be powered by strange energy, and soon enough, more appeared. Uhura recognized them immediately. That was where all the light drained from the Lanterns went. "Athena, get in there. I'll distract them." Uhura ordered, pointing at a large bush. The Betazoid girl nodded and hid in the bush. "So, you goofballs wanna do the galactic mambo? Let's dance!" declared Uhura.

 _You. Alone. We. Many. No chance._ said the robot.

"She's not alone." a voice said from next to her. "She's got help." Then a golden lasso wrapped around one attacking robot and made it spin around like a top before it crashed into others. "Yes! Strike!"

"Diana?!" Uhura cried in delight. "But...we've just met and the war made it hard for us to get to know each other!"

"Warrior women always have each other's backs." Shenara said as she appeared next to Diana, placing an arm on her shoulder. "We got to know each other better a few moments ago. It was a most pleasing experience, and she even allowed me to get on her shoulders! We are shield sisters now."

"Lieutenant Uhura!" Aya said as she flew in. "Our job up there is finished, I figured we got down over here. And it looked like you needed backup."

"Hey, Nyota, did you miss me?" said Carol as she and Indigo-1 teleported in.

Jaylah and Ferris were the last to arrive. "Let's teach them a lesson." said the Green Lantern as she cracked her knuckles, and sifted through her playlist to find the right song.

_Just A Girl-No Doubt_

_Take this pink ribbon off my eyes,_

_I'm exposed and it's no big surprise,_

_Don't you think I know exactly where I stand?_

_This world is forcing me to hold your hand,_

_'Cause I'm just a girl, oh, little ol' me,_

_Well, don't let me out of your sight,_

_Oh, I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite,_

_So don't let me have any rights!_

_Oh, I've had it up to here..._

_The moment that I step outside,_

_So many reasons for me to run and hide,_

_I can't do the little things I hold so dear,_

_'Cause it's all those little things that I fear,_

_'Cause I'm just a girl, I'd rather not be,_

_'Cause they won't let me drive late at night,_

_Oh, I'm just a girl, guess I'm some kind of freak,_

_'Cause they all sit and stare with their eyes,_

_Oh, I'm just a girl, take a good look at me,_

_Just your typical prototype..._

_Oh, I've had it up to here..._

As the ladies did all the work, Shenara had gotten on Diana's shoulders again, the two of them trying their best to balance themselves while using their weapons to slice through their adversaries. It was a nice sight, and that made Jaylah a bit jealous and mad, but she kept it inside and instead let it out on the attacking enemy robots. Carol and Indigo-1 were using the fear energy from the Klingon Yellow Lantern to make terrifying constructs and, believe it or not, that helped a lot. Aya weaved gracefully through the attacking robots, and used her energy blasts to cut them into scrap metal. The two Star Sapphires were back to back, and Ferris blasted a robot away as Uhura jammed her spear into another. Athena was amazed, watching it all from the bush.

_Oh, am I making myself clear?_

_I'm just a girl,_

_I'm just a girl in the world,_

_That's all that you'll let me be..._

_Oh, I'm just a girl, living in captivity,_

_Your rule of thumb makes me worrisome,_

_Oh, I'm just a girl, what's my destiny?_

_What I've succumbed to is making me numb,_

_Oh, I'm just a girl, my apologies,_

_What I've become is so burdensome,_

_Oh, I'm just a girl, lucky me,_

_Twiddle-dum, there's no comparison,_

_Oh, I've had it up to,_

_Oh, I've had it up to,_

_Oh, I've had it up to here..._

"All clear!" said Uhura. "You can come out now!"

Athena crawled out of the bush and ran into Uhura's arms. Once the ladies were certain the girl was safe, Jaylah commed Khan. "We're finished."

"We're finished as well. The Yellow Lanterns just got all the Betazoids to safety." Khan commed her back.

"Do one final sweep for me, will ya?" asked Jaylah.

"Affirmative." came the reply.

"Indigo-1—get us back up to the Enterprise!" Uhura said, and the indigo light transported everyone back to the noble flagship where Athena reunited with Omal and it was all over. The Seventh Fleet, celebrating the success, decided to throw a victory party on Mogo.

* * *

Although Mogo preferred being alone most of the time, this particular occasion, the planet was _happy._ He made a lot of constructs to decorate the glade where the victory party was being hosted, and made sure everyone was having a good time. Hal was dancing with Sinestro, and Kirk with Spock. The wine was flowing freely, and the Klingons were all gathered in one corner, sharing tall tales with Tirrok and Shenara in the center. Jaylah tried to pull Khan into the fun more than once, but the Dawnbreaker declined so she went over to dance with the others instead.

"Having fun?" asked Shenara as she approached the alien woman.

At the sight of the Klingon, Jaylah gulped. "S...Shenara! What the...I thought Klingon-people hated fun."

"Who says Klingons hate fun?" said the Yellow Lantern. "You're sorely mistaken, we have our own version of fun. C'mon, let's dance!" She then pulled Jaylah into a frolicsome fandango, causing the Green Lantern to blush a bright yellow.

Meanwhile, T'Lin the Vulcan was looking desperately for her new boyfriend when she saw him and Kilowog in a drinking match. "Guy!" she cried out. "Ashal-veh!"

"T'Lin?" cried Guy, after downing yet another bottle.

"I've been looking for you." she smirked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Diana was sitting in another corner when Aya walked over to her. "What's the matter, Lantern Diana? You look a little...down."

"It's nothing." the White Lantern chuckled. "No, I guess you're right. It's something. Your Captain Kirk, he reminds me of my first love a lot and because of that, I might have started to grow _feelings_ for him. But what can I do? He's taken."

"Hey, ladies, what were you talking about?" asked Kirk as he came around.

"Um...nothing." said Diana.

"Everyone's coming together for the big climax, care to join us?" asked the Green Leader.

"C'mon, follow the leader!" Aya urged her, and Diana got up from her seat, joining the other Lanterns and Federation Alliance soldiers in conveniently choreographed dance, everyone eager to strut their stuff.

_Mam-bo!_

For a moment, the Lanterns ran wild then grouped in a shape of a galaxy, with the Sinhal duo in the center. Diana struggled to find her position for a bit but blended in easily soon enough. Aya flew around, playing with constructs Mogo made for her. The planet's woodland creatures came out as well, eager to join the fun. Then everyone moved to a stone structure that resembled a grand stage, with two staircases on the sides and a group of Lanterns made two rows, with Kirk and Diana at the far end. After the others moved to the side, Kirk and Diana skidded all over the place, laughing happily then Kirk grabbed Diana and spun her around him for a while. Mogo made giant maracas constructs to add in the fun while Guy played construct kettledrums, and all the large trumpet flowers opened to play a merry tune.

Kirk and Diana happily waltzed around the glade, until they parted and slid down two large stone slides. They met in the middle, and twirled around for a bit before Kirk threw Diana high up in the air and caught her before she could hit the ground. The two struck a dramatic pose as they finished.

Spock watched the whole deal, and felt a surge of jealousy. Kirk walked over to him and "Whoo! Spock, dd you see me? I was awesome!"

"Why, Jim?" the Vulcan asked, anger evident in his eyes. "You danced with her!"

"Whoa, calm down! It was just a dance, nothing more, we were so engaged in the finale that we didn't even notice we were saddled together! So calm down, OK?" said the captain. "Captain's orders!"

"No, you are mine." Spock growled as the music got louder and louder in the background. "Don't go near her again. Don't even interact with her. If I see her near you one more time, I will rip out her organs and strangle her with them. You got it?"

Unfortunately for Spock, Hal overheard the whole conversation. Who does that green-blooded bastard think he is? Diana was a good friend that had went through thick and thin with him in the Justice League, Spock won't get rid of her that easily. Not while Hal was around. Plus, Spock was only half-alien while Diana was a literal demigod, he never stood a chance against her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene where Kirk and Diana dance together is inspired by the "Mambo" scene in the 1997 underrated movie Flubber.


	13. Eyes On Me, Singh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of Khan's dialogue in this chapter is borrowed from Agent Classified from Penguins Of Madagascar. I love Agent Classified, he's one wonderful wolf. By the way, I really need to stop writing stories where everything is twu wuv-this and power of friendship-that, and for that, I have to improve my writing skills. Gotta read masterpieces abound in fanfiction sites and learn...
> 
> Chapter Tehrah!

The night was long, and Uhura was talking to Omal in a far corner. Athena was playing with Saaya under Khan and Jaylah's watch, so nothing was to be worried about. "I believe I owe you a dinner." said the Betazoid.

"Why, yes, you do." said Uhura. "Mogo, will you please arrange a dinner for us?"

 _On it._ Mogo replied, and made a beautiful construct table with two chairs. Some construct waiters brought them food from the long tables, and gentle romantic music began playing in the background. "Nyota, I...thank you for returning my niece." said Omal.

"You're welcome." Uhura said, raising a wine glass. "To, Omal. For being the only normal thing in my crazy, upside-down world."

"To, being normal." said Omal, and they clinked glasses.

Uhura made a construct knife to cut off a piece of meat and placed it on her plate. "So, you said you wanted to talk, in order to know each other better. Let's talk. Here's my life so far—faced three space criminals, went head-on against a god of death, one of my former enemies came back with a power upgrade, the man of my dreams turned out to be gay, and here I am, with you! Honestly, you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

"As are you." replied Omal. "I lost my betrothed before we could wed at our majority. I still grieve for her but I know that life moved on, and I tried to move on as well. Real hard. But then, you just had to be there. And...I just fell. Now I can't imagine my life without you. So, may I ask, can we...?"

Uhura's face lit up brightly. "Are you kidding me, Omal? Whatever you're trying to tell me, I agree. But...let's take it slow if we really wanna start dating, right?"

And Omal nodded. The two drank from each other's glasses, and began tucking into the lovely food. Diana watched them from afar and began singing.

_DIANA:_

_And I never really sleep anymore,_

_And I always get those dangerous dreams,_

_And I never get a minute of peace,_

_And I gotta wonder what it means,_

_And I gotta wonder what it means._

_Maybe it's nothing, and I'm under the weather,  
_

_Maybe it's just one of those bugs going 'round,_

_Maybe I'm under a spell and it's magic,_

_Maybe there's a witch doctor with an office in town,_

_Oh, is this a blessing?_

_Or is it a curse?_

_Does it get any better?_

_Can it get any worse?_

_Will it go on forever?_

_Is it over tonight?_

_Does it come with the darkness?_

_Does it bring out the light?_

_Is it richer than diamonds,_

_Or just a little cheaper than spit?_

_I don't know what it is, but it just won't quit._

_I don't know what it is, but it just won't quit._

_I don't know what it is, but it just won't quit._

_I don't know what it is, but it just won't quit._

_KIRK:_

_And there used to be such an easy way of living,_

_And there used to be every hope in the world,_

_And I used to get everything that I went after,_

_But there never used to be this girl,_

_No, there never used to be this girl._

_Maybe I'm crazy, and I'm losing my senses,_

_Maybe I'm possessed by a spirit or such,_

_Maybe I'm desperate and I've got no defenses,_

_Can you get me a prescription for that one perfect touch?_

_BOTH:_

_Oh, this a blessing,_

_Or is it a curse?_

_Does it get any better?_

_Can it get any worse?_

_Will it go on forever?_

_Is it over tonight?_

_Does it come with the darkness?_

_Does it bring out the light?_

_DIANA:_

_It's a stairway to heaven,_

_Or a subway going down the pits..._

_LANTERNS CHORUS:_

_Is it some kind of love?_

_KIRK:_

_I don't know what it is, but it just won't quit._

_DIANA:_

_I don't know what it is, but it just won't quit._

_BOTH:_

_I don't know what it is, but it just won't quit._

_I don't know what it is, but it just won't quit._

_KIRK:_

_There was a time when nothing ever really mattered,_

_DIANA:_

_There was a time when there was nothing I didn't know,_

_KIRK:_

_There was a time when I knew just what I was living for,_

_DIANA:_

_There was a time and the time was so long ago._

_BOTH:_

_There was a time and the time was so long ago._

_KHAN:_

_And I never really sleep anymore..._

* * *

After the huge success of the Betazed campaign, the Seventh Fleet began racking up victories, mostly thanks to Khan and his overcharged ring. "Khan Noonien!" said Jaylah as she ran in. "Our ship's historian...she said this about you." She held up a recording device.

 _"This is Dr. Marla McGivers, log entry 007. May 7th, 2264._ _And with him lies our salvation. For as he gains in strength so do they fall in numbers. The Dominion commands its armies to the North and South, but_ he _controls the fight. The inner circle of death is where he resides—hunting them at the far reaches of the galaxy and beyond. I am a believer now—I feel it is in_ rage _that I have faith. The Dawnbreaker is the spear that stabs at the heart of our attackers, and those that would seek to harm us should feel warned—for there is only one dominant life form in this universe and it carries a blood red sword of light forged from sheer hatred. All hail the coming of the Destroyer—the Dawnbreaker's time is now."_

"O-o-h, somebody's got fangirls!" Guy jeered as he followed his fellow Green Lantern, only to be smacked in the back of his head by John.

"Alright, knock it off, fellas." said Kirk. "We've got some important news coming in, from Admiral Nogura."

So everyone went to a clearing somewhere on Mogo, where Nogura was waiting in person. "S...Sir!" said Hal. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Warlord Aldar called me sometime after your departure, and told me about the existence of the Stairgate, a wormhole connecting to various different sectors of the universe. That was how the Bolovaxian Union could come into first contact with our galaxy. If a species from the great unknown could extend their reach from one chunk of the universe to another, then how much easier would it be for an interstellar nation in the Gamma Quadrant to manipulate the Stairgate so they can invade another quadrant?" asked Nogura.

"So, what's the point?" asked Sinestro.

"The Federation Alliance representatives decided to launch an all-out attack directly towards the heart of the Dominion on next Taco Tuesday, using the Stairgate." Nogura spoke. "And you, Tomorrow Knights, will be carrying out a very special plan."

"If it is, then it might require a diversion." Khan piped up.

"I am the first officer of the Enterprise, and you are a convicted criminal. So it might be obvious who gives the orders around here. Much as it pains me, I need _you_ to act as _our_ diversion for _our_ operation, understood?" said Spock.

"Nope! This is _our_ plan, and it requires _you_ to cause a diversion." Khan retaliated.

"Dee-version." said Spock.

"Dye-version!" Khan yelled.

"Dee!"

"Dye!"

"Dee!"

"Dye!"

"Dee!"

"Dye!"

"Dee!"

"Dye!"

"Dee!"

"Dye!"

"Dee!"

"Dye!"

"Dee!"

"Dye!"

"Dee!"

"Dye!"

"Gentlemen, calm down!" Nogura said, and the two shut up. "So, Lantern Commander Singh, what was it you wanted to say?"

"Everyone, you're all so talented and imaginative, and I respect that. 300 years ago, when I had a plan and we were working together, we _conquered a quarter of the Earth_. Now you're an elite unit, just imagine what could happen if you did that. _You could save the universe._ " Khan told his teammates.

"Well said, Khan. Well said." said Kirk.

"Really?" asked the Red Lantern.

"It be a fine speech there, laddie." Scotty added.

"Hold up." Spock cut in. "Whatever plan he's going to come up with, it is bound to fail. My plan will work so much better."

"So, what are we gonna do?" said McCoy as he cast a nervous glance Kirk's way.

It was Aya who spoke first. "Plan-off."

"Thanks, Aya." said Spock. "So, Khan, you dee-vert the Jem'Hadar away from their posts while we breach the hull with Aya's help and travel undetected to the light-based weapon storage. Once inside, Mr. Sulu will provide lookout to make sure we're not being followed. Then we hack into the storage's security system and disable the shield, and release the light to destroy the Capital and end everything once and for all."

"Alright, I guess it's my turn now. I call this, the Dawnbreaker's plan to get inside the Capital, destroy their light storage and save the world, in five steps." said Khan as he began unfurling his plan. "Step one, while you blowhards dye-vert the Jem'Hadar from their posts, Kirk, you jam the security systems with a swarm of tribbles."

"Tribbles?" asked Shenara.

"Oh, dear. I forgot you Klingons have a grudge against tribbles, but you're gonna carry on anyway, right?" asked Khan.

"Anything for the universe." replied Shenara.

"Step two, we break into the Founders' dwelling and plunder their collection of relics to disguise ourselves. Step three, Mr. Scott, you and Miss Ferris sneak their way into the Master Control Room. Once inside they'll use their technical know-how to disable the light-based weapon storage's shield. Step four, knock-knock."

"Who's there?" asked Jaylah.

"The Dawnbreaker." replied Khan.

"The Dawnbreaker who?"

"The Dawnbreaker who doesn't have time for knock-knock jokes 'cause he's too busy initiating a blackout to switch off all the lights they collected! Step five, mission accomplished. See that? I don't even look back. There's a huge explosion, and I just keep walking."

"Whoo! Way to go, Khan Noonien! That's our Ultimate Hope, sucker!" Jaylah cried.

"Nicely done." Diana added.

"Hands up for Vulcan plan." Aya said, and one hand went up. It belonged to Spock.

"Hands up for Dawnbreaker plan." Aya said again. This time, everyone's hands went up including Nogura's, save for Spock, who kept his arms crossed. So it was decided. They were going with Khan's plan.

Later that day, Scotty handed out devices that allowed Lanterns to communicate with non-Lanterns. A safety measure was installed on Khan's; one that would release an electric current that would even make Khan's heart stutter once he initiated a blackout—courtesy of Spock, of course. The device would be a testament to Spock's superiority.

"Whatever you're plotting, don't." a voice said from next to him. It was Omal.

"Ambassador Nexi!" said the commander, surprised.

"Lieutenant Uhura told me you broke her heart on several occasions, and don't feel remorse about it. And right now, I sense your malicious intent towards Lantern Commander Singh. What did he ever do to you that you're acting hostile to him?"

"Did you see the crimes he committed?" Spock snapped.

"I did. Given the severity of the crimes, he was punished properly and would be again had there been no war. But right now, there's no choice but to work together, even if you don't want it." Omal spoke calmly.

* * *

At the Capital, Lord Okaia, the supreme ruler of the Dominion, was admiring his collection of relics. He, like the rest of the Founders, was a changeling, a liquid being that could shapeshift and right now, he was in his monster form, his favorite. General Luen entered the relic chamber and saluted him. "Oh, welcome, my prized warrior." said the tyrant.

"I overlooked the process of developing new weapons using the emotional energy we drained. They seemed to be loading the light into...something big." said Luen.

"You'll get to know in due time." said Okaia, as he placed one large hand on the other Founder's shoulder.

Luen sighed. In fact, she was fed up with the Founders' beliefs and instead gained an appreciation for solids over time, as she had learned her people's methods were not what she thought they were at some point in her life, and she learned that the hard way. She was especially fascinated with the solids that had freed Betazed from Dominion control, she wished she could know more about them in time.

Suddenly, Luen received a transmission. It was from Dr. Yolnut, the Vorta scientist. "My lord?" she told Okaia. "The Think Tank is completed, and our loyal Jem'Hadar soldiers are bringing in fuel."

"That's good!" said the ruler, and the two moved to another room. All colors of Lanterns had been captured, and Okaia greeted them. "Hello, everybody! Nice to meet you guys! Welcome to my Think Tank!" he said as he pushed a button. The ceiling peeled back, revealing thousands of light-sucking cells where the Lanterns were soon strapped into.


End file.
